Gauthier’s late goal lifts Ducks past Flames 5-3

CALGARY – Cutter Gauthier scored with 1:34 left in the third period to break a tie, and the Anaheim Ducks erased a two-goal deficit to beat the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Friday night.

Nikita Nesterenko added an empty-net goal with 14 seconds left as the Ducks won their fourth straight game. Gauthier has now scored in five consecutive games.

Calgary built a 3-1 lead in the first period, scoring twice in the final four minutes. William Stromgren put the Flames ahead 2:23 in, Jeff Malott answered for Anaheim 27 seconds later, and Joel Hanley (16:29) and Joel Farabee (19:02, on the power play) put Calgary up by two.

Anaheim starter Lukas Dostal was pulled after allowing three goals on 11 shots in the opening period. Ville Husso stopped all 10 shots he faced in relief, and the Ducks came back from there.

Tristan Luneau cut the deficit to one at 12:02 of the second. Leo Carlsson tied it 55 seconds into the third on a power play that followed an early delay-of-game penalty to Calgary’s Matt Coronato, and Gauthier snapped a shot past Dustin Wolf for the winner. Wolf made 24 saves in his third straight start.

“Just keeping it simple and shooting the puck,” Gauthier said, according to NHL.com.

Carlsson, who had a goal and an assist, said he was not surprised by what Gauthier is doing. Ducks coach Joel Quenneville, who watched his team trail by two, said he was pleased with how it responded.

Flames coach Ryan Huska said he “really liked our first period.” Calgary dropped to 7-9-1 on the season. Anaheim improved to 9-7-1.

The Ducks, who beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 on Thursday, as we reported, have now beaten both Alberta clubs in the span of two nights. Calgary had won earlier this season when Stromgren and Klapka scored in a 2-1 win over the Sharks.

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Via NHL.com, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press.