ANAHEIM –– For a second straight game, the Ducks got goals from three different lines and multipoint performances from four different skaters, all en route to a 5-2 triumph over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night at Honda Center.
They’ve won a modest two straight games, but by a convincing aggregate score of 10-3 following Thursday’s victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
McTavish netted a brace for the second straight game, including a power-play marker. Jansen Harkins had a goal and an assist in his first multipoint game since 2022, equalling the production of Trevor Zegras. Pavel Mintyukov also tallied and Brett Leason chipped in two assists. John Gibson made nine of 10 saves before exiting the game with an upper-body injury after the first period. Lukáš Dostál stopped 32 shots in his stead to earn the win.
Gustav Nyquist and Ryan O’Reilly were the spare forwards in Nashville’s 11-7 alignment, and each attacker scored a goal with both tallies being set up by Filip Forsberg. Juuse Saros repelled 30 pucks.
By the time the third period rolled around, the hosts had the visitors beyond arm’s length and were mostly content to protect their three-goal lead, apart from chasing an elusive empty-netter in the final three minutes.
In the middle frame, the Ducks saw their lead evaporate early only to pile on three unanswered goals to slam the door before the second intermission.
McTavish scored his second goal of the evening and his fifth in three games at the 14:20 mark. During a lively power play, he uncorked a one-timer from the right circle and, after the Ducks recovered the puck, another from a sharp angle just above the goal line for his 11th goal of 2024-25.
That built on two tallies 62 seconds apart, at 10:46 and 11:48 to give the Ducks their third lead of the night and their first multi-goal advantage.
Zegras, who assisted on McTavish’s first goal, scored one of his own, his fifth of the year. He recovered a shot attempt at the left-wing wall and then stayed in quiet ice as the play reversed to the right side. He glided into Drew Helleson’s rebound, finding the puck near the left dot and popping it past Saros.
Harkins had gotten in the goal column for the second time this season by way of a play on which he also recovered a shot attempt to extend possession and then finished off a rebound, in his case from just above the blue paint.
Nashville had pulled even for a second time 5:07 into the second stanza. O’Reilly created one rebound off his forehand and then swiped home another off his backhand to breathe life into the Preds briefly.
The Ducks came out flying and secured a lead before surrendering an equalizer and then reclaiming their edge with five seconds remaining in the first period.
As the horn was set to sound, McTavish deposited his third goal in four periods. Zegras picked off Roman Josi’s clearing attempt and fluidly flicked a cross-ice pass for Alex Killorn, who spotted McTavish blowing past his defender, Adam Wilsby, to the net for a diving redirection.
A challenging save by Gibson and a courageous block from captain Radko Gudas had helped set the scene for that late go-ahead goal, but Gudas and partner Jackson LaCombe were also on for the Predators’ only goal of the period.
Despite having an 11-5 shot disadvantage and territorial challenges, Nashville knotted the score after LaCombe’s pinch and Gudas’ wide position at the offensive blue line led to an odd-man rush. It was finished with a rising backhand by Nyquist.
The Ducks had earned the game’s first goal from an ostensibly innocuous play and an effective pinch by Mintyukov. As Leason and Harkins toiled on the forecheck, Mintyukov snuck into the left circle for a blast that got through Saros as Harkins pressured for the rebound. Mintyukov was credited with his fourth goal of the season.