Ryan Poehling broke a third-period tie and added an assist to pace the visiting Anaheim Ducks to a 4-2 victory over the winless Calgary Flames on Saturday.
Frank Vatrano, Jackson LaCombe and Nikita Nesterenko also scored, and Mikael Granlund had two assists for the Ducks, who have won four of their first five games.
Goaltender Ville Husso made 27 saves in his first start of the season.
Morgan Frost and Aydar Suniev each scored, and Matt Coronato collected two assists for the Flames, who have lost their first five games in the worst start in franchise history.
Goalie Dustin Wolf stopped 24 shots for Calgary, the only NHL team without a point this season.
The score was tied 2-2 when Poehling gave the Ducks their third lead. While short-handed, he slid a shot along the ice past Wolf at 5:35 of the third period, converting on a rush.
Poehling lost his footing when Calgary defenseman Zayne Parekh slid into him, sending him crashing into the net. Poehling slammed his knee into the post. After lying on the ice for an extended period, he was helped to the dressing room and did not return.
Nesterenko provided an insurance goal with 2:57 remaining in regulation, chipping a loose puck into the net during a scramble.
Until those goals, it was an even contest, perhaps even tilted in Calgary’s favor.
LaCombe opened the scoring midway through the first period, netting his first goal of the season by pouncing on a loose puck.
Frost replied five minutes later with a quick-strike tally, finishing a rush up the ice by burying an open chance from the slot.
Vatrano restored Anaheim’s lead with 45 seconds remaining in the first period when he redirected a bouncing point shot into the net for his first goal of the season.
Suniev again pulled Calgary even with 2:06 remaining in the second period. The 2023 third-round draft pick converted a sharp-angle shot for his first career NHL goal in his ninth game.
The win came at a cost for the Ducks. Cutter Gauthier left the game after logging just 2:18 of ice time in the first period because of an upper-body injury and did not return.
–Field Level Media
