Dostal makes 21 saves, Ducks defeat Golden Knights in Game 2 of West 2nd Round

LAS VEGAS -- Lukas Dostal made 21 saves for the Anaheim Ducks in a 3-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round at T-Mobile Arena on Monday.

“It doesn’t matter (that I didn’t get the shutout). It’s still one point in the series,” Dostal said. “I always say it doesn’t matter what the score is. It’s always the cherry on top, but we got a 'W' and that’s all we focus on.”

Beckett Sennecke, Leo Carlsson and Jansen Harkins scored for the Ducks, who are the No. 3 seed from the Pacific Division.

“That’s not our tradition playing that type of game, a low-scoring affair,” Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville said. “We’ve had some stretches show now over the course of the season, particularly late; this is the only way you’re going to be successful in the playoffs. You got to win games like tonight. I think that we showed that it’s going to take everybody to play that type of game.”

Mark Stone scored the lone goal, and Carter Hart made 25 saves for the Golden Knights, who are the No. 1 seed from the Pacific.

“There were some really good minutes. Some minutes that we’re just not there,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “I have full trust we’re going to find our way and try to play our best game. That certainly hasn’t happened yet in the series, but we’ll find our way and get there.”

The Ducks evened the best-of-7 series 1-1. Game 3 is at Honda Center on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, HBO MAX, SN, SN360, TVAS).

Sennecke gave Anaheim a 1-0 lead at 11:23 of the second period. Jeffrey Viel collected the puck behind the net and fed a pass in front to Sennecke, who lifted a shot past Hart's glove.

Carlsson made it 2-0 at 6:36 of the third period, chipping Troy Terry's backhanded pass in off the glove of Hart from in front.

“Great job by the troops down low. I got in the corner and just wanted to break away for (Chris Kreider),” Carlsson said. “He tried to give it back to me, but it ended up in Troy’s hands. I just tried to get open and shot it into the top shelf there."

Harkins pushed the lead to 3-0 with an empty-net goal at 16:30. It was his first playoff goal since Aug. 30, 2020, when he was a member of the Winnipeg Jets. He drew into the lineup alongside forward Ross Johnston for forward Mason McTavish and defenseman Ian Moore, who were both healthy scratches.

“Both (Harkins and Johnston) have been skating the last couple of weeks,” Quenneville said. “They’re ready. They’re just waiting for the opportunity.”

Stone redirected a Jack Eichel shot under Dostal's right arm while on the power play at 19:54 for the 3-1 final.

“We’re two games removed from probably the best game we’ve played,” Stone said. “It hasn’t been our best the last two, but the good news is we can improve. It’s not like we’ve played our best hockey. We’re 1-1, so we have to figure it out.”

The Ducks finished 0-for-5 on the power play, including a 5-on-3 for 1:37 in the first period, and are 0-for-9 in the series.

“The pressure is good (against us),” Carlsson said. “Long sticks, big bodies. It’s something we have to look at the tapes on and figure it out.”

NOTES: Sennecke (two) became the fourth Ducks skater to score multiple goals in a single postseason at age 20 or younger, following Stanislav Chistov (four in 2003), Emerson Etem (three in 2013) and Ryan Getzlaf (two in 2006). ... Carlsson tied Chistov (four in 2003) as well as Nick Ritchie (four in 2017) for the second-most goals in a single postseason by an Anaheim skater before age 22. Devante Smith-Pelley tops the list (five in 2014). ... Carlsson (two) became the third Ducks player age 21 or younger to record multiple game-winning goals in a single postseason, joining Ritchie (two in 2017) and Getzlaf (two in 2007).