SAN JOSE, Calif. – Ducks coach Joel Quenneville provided probably the most telling post-game reaction to the Anaheim Ducks 7-6 multi-goal comeback overtime win in San Jose on Saturday.

“That’s more than a wow.”

After trailing by two goals three separate times, Cutter Gauthier tipped home his second goal of the game off a Mason McTavish feed midway through the third period, and Chris Kreider popped in his second rebound of the game off a Leo Carlsson charge in the final minute to tie the game, 6-6.

In overtime, Carlsson defended a dangle attempt from Macklin Celebrini, Mikael Granlund collected the puck and fed the streaking Carlsson, who lasered the game winner.

“Super fun hockey game,” Carlsson said. “Back and forth. Love a comeback win.”

Gauthier’s line with Mason McTavish and Beckett Sennecke accounted for a combined seven points, with Gauthier’s two goals, McTavish’s three assists and Sennecke’s second career goal in his second career game.

“Obviously, a lot of roller coaster emotions there,” Gauthier said, “but thought our team had a great resilience to stick with it and keep bearing down and big goals out of Kreids to get us going and, you know, all the boys. So I thought it was a good game.”

Anaheim splits its season opening road trip following a game in Seattle and takes home two points out of a possible four. The Ducks also take plenty positive out of their style of play in their first two games under Quenneville, but with a fair amount to build on.

“You just do everything right to give yourself the best chance and you usually get rewarded when you work as hard as we have,” Quenneville said. “I thought we had a good camp and a strong start to the season after two games. We played 80 minutes of really good hockey and other parts have been okay.”

Petr Mrázek stopped 17 of 23 shots in his first start with Anaheim. Yaroslav Askarov made 36 saves for San Jose.

The Ducks return to Orange County for their home opener on Tuesday against Pittsburgh.

Carlsson, Kreider Break Through

On Saturday morning, Carlsson said the Ducks were “dominant” at times in Thursday’s opener in Seattle, but the top trio of Carlsson, Kreider and Troy Terry just had not broken through.

“Easy answer (to do that) is just put the puck in the net, I think,” Carlsson said at morning skate. “I feel like we had the chances to do that. We have maybe like four, like really, really good chances that we should’ve put in the net, but just getting into those dangerous areas.”

It took a little while longer tonight, but the proof was in the pudding by the time Carlsson netted the overtime winner.

Kreider scored one of two power play goals for Anaheim and followed up with the game-tying marker. Both goals came at the net front, which was–along with his power play presence–the selling point of his trade to Anaheim over the summer.

“I try to do that consistently, just, like you said, be around the paint,” Kreider said. “Occasionally pucks find you, especially when they’re playing with good players, and there’s a lot of good players on this team. It’s kind of my M.O., what I’m trying to do on a daily basis, and just happened to find me a couple times tonight.”

Carlsson collected three points, Kreider had his two goals, and Troy Terry–who has admittedly had a tough start–registered two assists. Carlsson said that Kreider’s physical presence opens up their line to success.

“He does the dirty work for us, so me and Troy have more of a free role,” Carlsson said. “We know that he’s at the net every time top in the league in that spot, so it’s helping us big time.”

Gauthier, McTavish, Sennecke: New “Kid Line” on the Block?

Where Carlsson and Kreider stole the headlines late, it was the second line of Gauthier, McTavish and Sennecke that powered the Ducks’ relentless offense through the ups-and-downs of Saturday’s game.

Just 40 seconds after Ryan Reaves of all people blazed by Drew Helleson and scored shortside for a 2-0 lead, it was Gauthier that stopped the bleeding, as his snipe squeezed through the armpit of Askarov to get Anaheim on the board.

Sennecke scored his second career goal in his second career game by hanging around the net to slam in Anaheim’s first power play goal of the season to tie the game, 2-2.

McTavish’s endlessly hard forechecking efforts were rewarded with three assists, including a feed Gauthier tipped home in the third.

“We gelled pretty well in practice once we started playing with each other,” Gauthier said, “and we’re always connected. It feels like, you know, there’s guys all around the ice, never on an island, which is good.”

This line was not the plan just two days before the season opener, but after Ryan Strome was injured in a practice last Tuesday, Mikael Granlund moved off the second-line wing to third-line center, and Sennecke got the opportunity to jump up. It’s worked well beyond anyone’s imagination.

“In a short amount of time, it was something that we probably never thought of it at the beginning of camp,” Quenneville said. “Now they’re together and maybe we’ll be calling them the Kid Line. See how it goes.”

Penalty Troubles Remain in New Regime

For as good as the offensive output was, Anaheim was slowed down in the second period and ended behind the eight ball due to a constant march to the penalty box.

“I thought we played well the whole game, but we took some very poor decisions on the penalties we took there in that stretch and gave them a two goal lead,” Quenneville said.

The Ducks took four consecutive penalties in the second period, including a delay-of-game puck-over-the-glass by Frank Vatrano that put San Jose on a two-man advantage. The Sharks scored on that five-on-three and potted another late in the period.

Other penalties in the second were Ryan Poehling with a delay-of-game for covering the puck with his hand on a face-off, Olen Zellweger with a hooking call and McTavish with a high stick behind the play.

Quenneville has mentioned throughout the preseason the Ducks long penalty history that goes back well before his tenure. It’s something the new bench boss will continue to harp on to erase old habits.

“There’s a way of accountability, and whether it’s delegation of ice time and the situation where we go bing, bing, bing,” Quenneville said. “You got to be selective and that was the situation. It was almost like, okay, let’s learn from it, we’ll talk about it, and let’s get a better response knowing we can’t take those kinds of penalties that have nothing to do with the game.”

Mrázek Struggles in Ducks Debut

It was not a night to write home about for Petr Mrázek with let in six goals on just 23 shots, including two on seven shots in the first period and three on 10 shots in the second period.

Mrázek was simply beat on a few of the Sharks goals, with the most glaring being the aforementioned short side rush by Reaves, who is more known for using his hands as he did in a scrap with Ross Johnston later in the first period.

“It was one of those games,” Quenneville said. “I mean, hey, it was the goaltenders. I’m sure that they’re looking to get an opportunity to get in there again and anticipate probably being more comfortable and responding in that way.”