Recap: Ducks Surrender Third-Period Lead, Fall 4-2 to Avs on Fan Appreciation Night

Mason McTavish and Sam Colangelo scored, but the Ducks could not hang on to a third-period lead tonight in a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Honda Center.

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The loss dropped Anaheim to 35-37-8 on the season and 21-18-2 on home ice. The Ducks will need to finish the year with wins in each of the club's last two games to secure a .500 record.

McTavish and Colangelo helped the Ducks to a two-goal lead in the second period, with the former claiming the team lead in goals this season. Alex Killorn, Frank Vatrano, Nikita Nesterenko and Troy Terry tallied assists. Lukas Dostal made 20 saves in his 53rd appearance of the season.

Ducks defenseman Ian Moore made his NHL debut in the loss. Paired with veteran Jacob Trouba, Moore recorded three shots on goal, tops among DUcks blueliners, with one block in 15:31 of ice-time.

Wyatt Aamodt, Jack Drury, Charlie Coyle and Erik Johnson all scored third-period goals for the Avs, who finished the regular season third in the Central Division at 49-29-4. Colorado will face Dallas in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood earned his 14th win of the season with stops on 18-of-20 Anaheim shots.

McTavish put Anaheim ahead first with just over a minute go in the opening frame, curling to the middle of the ice off the rush and wiring a snapshot up over Wedgewood's glove.

The goal was McTavish's team-leading 22nd of the season and his 13th point in the last 14 games. The 22-year-old, about to complete his third full NHL season, has set career-high marks in goals, assists, points and plus/minus this season.

Anaheim extended the lead midway through the second period with a goal credited to the power play in everywhere but the scoresheet. As the Ducks worked the puck around the perimeter of the zone, and with Colorado center Charlie Coyle returning to the ice from a tripping penalty, the play eventually came to Killorn along the goal line. The veteran winger then quickly spotted Colangelo open in the slot, sliding a short pass than his young linemate slammed home through Wedgewood's five-hole to put the Ducks ahead by two.

Colangelo, now with eight goals in his last 16 games, ranks third among all qualified NHL rookies in goals per game this season - trailing only Calder Trophy contenders Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov.

With his 23rd assist of the season, Vatrano matched his career high total set last year. The Massachusetts-born winger, signed earlier this season to a three-year contract extension, has now registered the three best offensive seasons of his 10-year NHL career during his initial three campaigns as a Duck.

The third period would belong to Colorado though, as the Avs struck three times in an eight-minute span to steal the two points from Anaheim.

The Avs first got on the board with a fortunate bounce off the rush, as Aamodt's centering pass intended for forward Parker Kelly instead hit off defenseman's Pavel Mintyukov's skate and deflected into the net. Aamodt's goal was his first in the NHL.

Drury tied the game moments later with a power-play goal finding free space in the slot and tipping home defenseman Sam Malinski's point shot.

Coyle then netted the decisive tally with just two minutes to play in regulation, finishing a cross-ice pass from linemate Jimmy Vesey past the sliding Dostal in net.

Acquired from Boston at the trade deadline, Coyle has tallied two goals and 11 points in his first 19 appearances with Colorado.

The third-period multi-goal comeback was Colorado's fourth of the season, matching Colorado for the most in the NHL.

Johnson capped the scoring with an empty-netter with 47 seconds to play.

The Ducks begin a season-ending two-game road trip Tuesday in Minnesota.