Recap: Ducks Erase Two-Goal Deficit, Fall 4-3 in Shootout

The Ducks erased a two-goal deficit to force overtime, but Auston Matthews buried the shootout-clinching goal to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 win tonight at Scotiabank Arena. The Ducks have earned points in back-to-back games to start a five-game eastern road trip (1-0-1).
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John Gibson continued his stellar run of play, stopping 41-of-44 shots and serving as the key reason Anaheim earned that critical standings point. The All-Star netminder has a .939 save percentage over his last six starts.
Facing one of the NHL's most explosive offenses, the Ducks typically strong penalty kill had an off night, conceding three power play goals in a game for the first time this season. Toronto leads the NHL on the man advantage (34-111, 30.6%).
Sam Steel, Jakob Silfverberg and Vinni Lettieri scored for Anaheim.
Playing in a building in which they've historically had little success, the Ducks got a bounce in the opening minutes of the game to go ahead first. Steel and Lettieri combined for a give-and-go entry into the Toronto defensive zone, with Lettieri tracking the puck down along the wall and quickly firing a low shot on net. Steel had his initial rebound bid denied by Leafs netminder Jack Campbell, but when winger Pierre Engvall tried to clear the loose puck, his attempt hit linemate Jason Spezza and ricocheted over the line, giving Steel his fifth goal of the season and Anaheim an early lead.

The Ducks have scored the first goal in 27 games this season, including three straight contests, second-most in the NHL.
The early advantage was short-lived though, as the Leafs big guns converted twice in a period spent largely in Anaheim's end of the ice.
Marner notched the first on a one-time bid through traffic and past a screened Gibson. Marner has goals in four straight games (4-2=6).
Nylander put Toronto ahead less than two minutes later, getting free in the slot and burying a centering pass from John Tavares stationed behind the net.
Gibson made 15 stops in the first period and another 13 in the second to keep Anaheim close, including on highlight-reel denials of Nylander and Marner.
Tavares temporarily put Toronto ahead by two late in the middle frame, capitalizing on a lengthy two-man advantage for the home team.
The Ducks killed the second half of that Toronto power play and got right back in the game seconds after it ended though, as Silfverberg stepped out of the box, joined an odd-man rush and beat Campbell with a wrist shot over the glove. The goal pulled Anaheim back within one heading into the third, despite mustering only 11 shots in the first two periods.

The late response goal seemed to give the Ducks some life as the team played its best period of the night in the third, pushing for the tying tally with several quality shifts in the Toronto defensive zone.
The Ducks eventually broke through for that tying goal courtesy of a deft redirect by Lettieri in front of the net. Kevin Shattenkirk walked the blue line, wristing a shot through two Maple Leafs defenders and Lettieri got just enough of it, changing the eventual target from Campbell's blocker side to above his glove hand and pulling the Ducks even at three.

The teams traded chances before overtime, most notably on Nylander's bid from the slot in the final seconds of regulation, but neither side could find the game-winning goal before the third period buzzer.
Gibson made the best save of the night with a brilliant gloved robbery of Nylander on an overtime breakway, and then denied the Swedish forward again moments later on a backhand bid from the slot for good measure.
Matthews and Jason Spezza scored in the shootout for Toronto. Trevor Zegras scored for Anaheim.
The Ducks continue their five-game road trip tomorrow night in Montreal.