Kreider has 4 points, Ducks recover for shootout win against Canadiens

ANAHEIM -- Chris Kreider had a goal and three assists, and the Anaheim Ducks recovered to win 6-5 after a six-round shootout against the Montreal Canadiens at Honda Center on Friday.

Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson and Jackson LaCombe each had a goal and an assist, Jacob Trouba had two assists, and Lukas Dostal made 23 saves and stopped five of six attempts in the shootout for the Ducks (35-24-3), who have won seven of eight to move back into first place in the Pacific Division.

Gauthier and Alex Killorn scored in the shootout.

“It’s good to come up with two points. I think that's one of those games coaches don't enjoy but fans do, right?" Kreider said. "So, exciting game, but some things we can definitely do better going forward.”

Cole Caufield had two goals and an assist, Lane Hutson had a goal and two assists, Nick Suzuki had a goal and an assist, and Juraj Slafkovsky and Noah Dobson each had two assists for the Canadiens (33-18-10), who are 1-1-2 coming out of the Olympic break. Sam Montembeault made 28 saves.

Kreider scored on a deflection with 42 seconds left in the third period and Dostal pulled for the extra skater to tie it 5-5.

"We found ourselves with the lead with five minutes to go and can't close it out," Caufield said. "It's obviously something we've been preaching a lot. We've got to find ways to get it done. It's just pretty frustrating right now."

The Canadiens had scored three goals in a 4:23 span midway through the third period to take the lead.

Caufield scored with a one-timer from the left circle to cut it to 4-3 at 8:41, Alexandre Carrier tied it 4-4 with a goal from the inside edge of the right circle at 11:47, and Caufield scored again with a netfront redirection of Dobson’s shot from the left circle, putting Montreal in front 5-4 at 13:04.

The Canadiens also scored three straight times in the third period on Tuesday at the San Jose Sharks to tie the score, but gave up two late goals in the 7-5 loss.

"To battle back in these types of games, it can be hard, especially with how offensively gifted these last two teams were," Hutson said. "It's always a positive thing, and we got better for sure."

Trouba's wrist shot through traffic from the right point 20 seconds into the game was disallowed after a coaches' challenge showed Kreider was offside prior to the goal.

Gauthier quickly got the Ducks back on the board, finishing a rush with a one-timer from the right face-off circle for a 1-0 lead 39 seconds into the game.

It was his sixth goal in a four-game goal streak.

“There's just a lot of young talent in the room," Kreider said. "A lot of guys who have game-breaking skill and do stuff that, honestly, I've never seen before. At any point in time, those guys can break out and score goals.”

The Canadiens scored 22 seconds later on Suzuki's one-timer from the right hash marks to tie it 1-1 at 1:01.

Montreal was on the first power play of the game when Hutson scored with a wrist shot from the high slot for a 2-1 lead at 3:33.

Radko Gudas took a one-timer from the right point that nicked off Montembeault's webbing and hit the net to tie it 2-2 at 11:56 of the first.

LaCombe scored the lone goal of the second period with a one-timer from above the right circle while on a power play to give the Ducks a 3-2 lead at 12:15.

Carlsson scored 35 seconds into the third period off a feed from Kreider to finish off a 2-on-1 and extend the lead to 4-2.

"We have a team that can generate offense and has a lot of high-end forwards with skill,” Trouba said.

The Ducks killed a tripping penalty over the final two minutes of overtime to take the game into the shootout.

"We can regroup here," Dobson said. "Best thing is we're right back at it tomorrow (at the Los Angeles Kings) with a chance to finish on a good note on the road trip."

NOTES: The last time the Ducks were in first place in their division this late in the season was at the end of the 2016-17 season. ... Anaheim recorded its 19th come-from-behind win, tying the Canadiens for the League lead. ... The Ducks had allowed the first goal in the previous five games. ... Anaheim matched its win total from last season (35). ... The Ducks (13-0-0) and Colorado Avalanche (16-0-0) are the only NHL teams who haven't lost after scoring first at home this season. ... The Ducks are 20-0-0 when leading after the second period. ... Anaheim is 15-3 beyond regulation this season and 8-0 in shootouts.