Ducks' balanced attack too much for Kraken

Cutter Gauthier, Alex Killorn and Trevor Zegras each had a goal and an assist as the Anaheim Ducks defeated the host Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Wednesday night, earning a split of the home-and-home series between the Pacific Division rivals.

Frank Vatrano and Brett Leason also scored for the Ducks, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Goaltender John Gibson made 43 saves to improve to 4-0-1 in five starts after missing the opening month of the NHL season while recovering from an appendectomy.

Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for the Kraken, who lost for just the second time in their past seven home games. Joey Daccord stopped 28 of 33 shots.

After Seattle rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie it at 2-all, the Ducks regained the lead at 10:02 of the second period as Mason McTavish forced a turnover in the left-wing corner and Zegras picked up the puck and fed a wide-open Killorn in the low slot for a one-timer.

Gauthier scored on a wrist shot from the inside top of the right faceoff circle with a man advantage at 19:23 of the second to restore Anaheim's two-goal advantage.

Zegras helped clinch the victory by tallying on a rebound at 13:55 of the third.

The Ducks opened the scoring at 8:23 of the first as Troy Terry skated down the slot but fanned on a shot attempt while being converged upon by a pair of defenders. The puck slid to Vatrano with his back to the net and he spun and put a shot just inside the left post.

Anaheim doubled its advantage at 12:43 of the period as Leason's wrist shot from near the left faceoff dot snuck between Daccord's pads.

Seattle got on the board at 16:34 of the first as Tolvanen put a wrist shot from the slot into the upper left corner of the net.

The Kraken tied it at 8:58 of the second as Tolvanen forced a turnover behind the Anaheim net and Shane Wright fired a pass to Bjorkstrand in the slot for a one-timer.

Ducks forward Leo Carlsson didn't play because of an upper-body injury suffered in their 3-2 loss Monday to the Kraken in Anaheim. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft was hurt late in the second period when Seattle's Tye Kartye checked Carlsson into his own net.

--Field Level Media