Recap: Ducks Rally from Two-Goal Deficit, Fall 3-2 in Shootout to Stars

The Ducks once again erased a multi-goal deficit, but could not complete the comeback with a shootout win, falling 3-2 to the Dallas Stars tonight at American Airlines Center.
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Despite the loss, which snapped Anaheim's three-game winning streak and dropped the club to 16-30-5 on the season, the Ducks have earned points in five of their last six games (4-1-1). Anaheim will visit Chicago for the second half of a road back-to-back tomorrow night.
Jakob Silfverberg and Adam Henrique scored for the Ducks, eliminating a two-goal Stars lead in a matter of 86 seconds. Kevin Shattenkirk, Frank Vatrano and Trevor Zegras added assists.
John Gibson made 39 saves, affording the Ducks a chance at a late comeback with a terrific second period to weather a furious Stars push, highlighted by a lunging denial of Mason Marchment on the goal line.

Nils Lundkvist and Roope Hintz scored for the Stars, who now have points in six straight games (3-0-3) and a three-point lead atop the Central Division.
Jake Oettinger earned the win, his 22nd of the season and second over the Ducks, stopping 33-of-35 shots and taking a shutout bid deep into the third period.
Both sides had their chances throughout a mostly even first period, but it would be only the Stars capitalizing on one of them to take the lead back to the locker room.
As the Stars settled a bouncing puck just outside the Ducks blue line, Radek Faksa rushed down left wing, fighting through the check of a couple Anaheim defenders before delivering a perfect backdoor pass to Lundkvist for the tap-in goal.
Dallas has opened the scoring 34 times this season, tied with Carolina for most in the NHL.
Ducks All-Star winger Troy Terry left the game following the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. Terry leads the Ducks in assists and ranks second in points.
Hintz doubled the lead seven minutes into the middle frame, the benficiary of a terrific play by winger Dennis Gurianov. With Anaheim trying to break the puck out of the zone along the boards, Gurianov took it away and then, much like Faksa did earlier, zipped a pass horizontally across the Ducks defensive zone to Hintz, who finished it off on the doorstep to put the Stars up 2-0.
The 26-year-old Hintz has goals in consecutive games and points in three of his last four.
Dallas took control of the pace of play throughout the remainder of the second, but Gibson stood tall with several big stops to keep Anaheim in the game, especially so on a full two-minute Stars 5-on-3 power play.

The Ducks went to work on the attack in the third period, nearly getting back within a goal just four minutes in when Dmitry Kulikov rung the crossbar from the point, and eventually breaking through for two goals just 1:26 apart to tie the game.
Silfverberg snapped Oettinger's shutout bid with nine minutes to play in regulation, working his way to the front of the net and tipping Shattenkirk's point shot home for a power-play goal.

With the goal, Silfverberg matched Bobby Ryan (147) for seventh-most in Ducks history. Silfverberg also ranks in the club's all-time top 10 in games played (660, fifth), assists (175, ninth), points (322, eighth), game-winning goals (17, tied-eighth) and shorthanded goals (10, third).
Shattenkirk has assists in each of his last two games and three in his last five appearances.
Henrique tied the game two shifts later. As Zegras forced a turnover along the left wing wall, Henrique found some open space in the slot, taking a pass from Zegras out of the corner and then beating Oettinger over the blocker.
Henrique has scored in seven of his last nine games (7-4=11), tied for third among NHL leaders in goals and even-strength goals (six) during that span. Since the beginning of November, the date he scored his first of the year, Henrique is tied for 24th in the league in goals (19). He now leads the Ducks for the season and ranks third on the team in points (19-12=31).
With the primary assist, Zegras has now recorded at least one point in 12 of his last 14 games. He leads the Ducks in scoring (18-25=43) and is second in goals and assists. Zegras has five points (0-5=5) in six career games against Dallas.
A cautious remainder of regulation would find no heroics, and then suddenly give way a raucous 3-on-3 overtime with chances on both ends. The Ducks were unable to convert on a power play drawn by former Star John Klingberg, while Gibson answered with a big blocker save on a shorthanded rush.
McTavish scored the lone shootout goal for Anaheim while Tyler Seguin and Jason Robertson converted for Dallas, clinching the hosts' 3-2 win and the extra standings point.
The Ducks conclude a road back-to-back tomorrow night in Chicago.