Pavel Mintyukov scored the decisive goal late in the third period to help the Anaheim Ducks secure a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Honda Center on Saturday. The win moved the Ducks back into first place in the Pacific Division after a challenging stretch where they lost four out of their previous five games.
Mintyukov’s go-ahead goal came with 3:29 remaining, capitalizing on a cross-ice pass from Mikael Granlund. Granlund contributed both a goal and an assist in the game, while Jacob Trouba and Mason McTavish also found the net for Anaheim.
Lukas Dostal started in goal for Anaheim for a second consecutive night, making 23 saves. This followed his early exit during Friday’s 8-3 loss to the Dallas Stars, where he was pulled after allowing four goals on seven shots.
For Columbus, Mason Marchment scored in his debut with the team following a recent trade from Seattle Kraken. Dmitri Voronkov and Zach Werenski also tallied goals for the Blue Jackets. Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins stopped 24 shots but could not prevent Columbus from dropping its seventh game out of eight.
Werenski tied the game at 3-3 midway through the third period with his fifth goal over three games but left later after blocking a shot by Troy Terry. That play resulted in a penalty for too many men on the ice against Columbus.
Anaheim opened scoring just over two minutes into the game when defenseman Olen Zellweger set up Granlund for his third consecutive game with a goal. Less than a minute later, Trouba extended Anaheim’s lead off an assist from Ryan Poehling.
Columbus responded during their first power play when Charlie Coyle assisted Voronkov at close range to cut Anaheim’s lead to one. Marchment then deflected Damon Severson’s shot to even things up early in the second period.
Despite being knocked down earlier by Beckett Sennecke—which drew a goalie interference penalty—Merzlikins kept Columbus level by saving Jackson LaCombe’s short-handed attempt. However, Anaheim regained control when Ross Johnston intercepted a pass behind Columbus’ net and set up McTavish for what became their third goal of the night.
The Ducks’ victory puts them atop their division as they look ahead to maintain momentum through their upcoming schedule.
