{"id":313727,"date":"2026-05-13T14:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T14:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/313727\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T14:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T14:28:10","slug":"ducks-fall-in-ot-face-elimination-game-5-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/313727\/","title":{"rendered":"Ducks Fall in OT, Face Elimination \u2013 Game 5 takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite dominating for large stretches of Game 5, the Anaheim Ducks<\/a> lost in overtime 3-2 on Pavel Dorofyev\u2019s second goal of the game at 4:10 of the extra session.<\/p>\n

Beckett Sennecke<\/a> and Olen Zellweger<\/a> each scored for Anaheim, and Cutter Gauthier<\/a> had two assists. Lukas Dostal<\/a> made 29 saves.<\/p>\n

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The Ducks will face elimination in Game 6 at Honda Center on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n

The Ducks Had No Answer for Vegas\u2019 OT Push\"NHL:<\/p>\n

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Anaheim dominated the second and third periods, outshooting Vegas 27-16 in those 40 minutes. Plus, the Ducks took the momentum when Zellweger capped a monster shift by scoring his first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal with just 3:05 in regulation.<\/p>\n

Yet, in a city known for its high-profile boxing matches, Vegas went for the knockout early in overtime. The Golden Knights<\/a> outshot the Ducks<\/a> 5-0 in the extra session and finally answered the bell after Anaheim\u2019s 40 minutes of body blows.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI thought it was a very competitive game,\u201d Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a big letdown, but tomorrow you wake up, and it\u2019s a new day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dorofyev\u2019s second goal capped an eventful night. He singlehandedly created the Golden Knights\u2019 first goal by stripping Chris Kreider<\/a> of the puck, on what would have been a short-handed two-on-one, then skated to the slot and beat Dostal to knot the game at 1.<\/p>\n

But Dorofyev missed at least two shifts in the second period after he was struck on the knee with a slap shot. He returned later in the frame and buried the game-winning goal by batting Jack Eichel<\/a>\u2018s rebound from midair past Dostal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a tight game. Lots of chances each way,\u201d Zellweger said. \u201c[Dostal] played phenomenal.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe need to just reset, and we know what we need to do the next game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cutter Gauthier Nearly Saved the Day\"NHL:<\/p>\n

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Gauthier has played like a superstar throughout the second-round series, and he was Anaheim\u2019s best player again in Game 5. He found Zellweger with a crafty cross-slot pass that set up the young defenseman to tie the game late.<\/p>\n

Gauthier now has five assists in the past two games and has the primary assist on each of the Ducks\u2019 past four goals dating back to Game 4.<\/p>\n

But his two assists were only part of Gauthier\u2019s contributions. He also saved a goal by sweeping the puck off the goal line in the first period that kept the game scoreless.<\/p>\n

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Anaheim played down a forward throughout Game 5 after it lost center Ryan Poehling<\/a> to an undisclosed injury in the first period. Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb<\/a> delivered a hard check against Poehling and was ejected after officials ruled it a major penalty for interference.<\/p>\n

Sennecke struck on the subsequent power play, beating Vegas goalie Carter Hart<\/a> between the pads after Gauthier made a neat zone-saving play along the half wall.<\/p>\n

The Ducks scored a power-play goal for the second straight game and finished 1 for 2 \u2014 the major penalty was their only man-advantage.<\/p>\n

The Ducks Will Face Elimination in Game 6\"NHL:<\/p>\n

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

After all that, the Ducks will face elimination for the first time this postseason.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI know this group is gonna bounce back like we have all playoffs long,\u201d Ducks forward Mason McTavish<\/a> said after Game 5<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna take a few lessons from this one and be ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ducks have played even with the Golden Knights for much of the series. Vegas owns a plus-4 goal differential \u2014 in part due to its two empty-net goals in the series.<\/p>\n

Anaheim has tightened up over the past two games. Even though Dostal should have swallowed Rasmus Andersson<\/a>\u2019s initial shot on Hertl<\/a>\u2019s goal, the Ducks goalie has been solid since he was yanked in Game 3.<\/p>\n

So even though they lost a gut-punch game in Vegas, the Ducks are saying all the right things ahead of what could be their final home game of the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think our guys are going to be excited about it,\u201d Quenneville said. \u201cIt\u2019s a fun opportunity. We\u2019ve got to come out and play hard and simple at home and get excited about the home crowd. It\u2019s one game to play one more. That\u2019s our mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n

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