Mikael Granlund hat trick OT-winner caps another Ducks comeback in Calgary

CALGARY, Alb. – They just find a way. Night after night, the Anaheim Ducks give up the first goal, and no matter the circumstances between then and the final horn, this team manages to put together a two-point effort.

That’s all they need to keep the pace in the Pacific Division.

Anaheim survived a couple goal reviews early, and despite still allowing the first goal for the fifth straight game and 14th time in 16 games since the Olympic break, Mikael Granlund powered the Ducks with all three of the team’s goals, including the power-play overtime-winner with one second remaining in a 3-2 road win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday.

John Carlson picked up two assists on Granlund’s game-tying power-play goal late in the third period and on the overtime winner, as the Ducks maintained a five-point lead on the Pacific Division with 10 games to play. Ville Husso made 23 saves in the win.

“I think there’s easier ways to find a way to win a game, but that’s how it’s been,” Granlund said. “Obviously, we need to try to get better starts, get the first goal, and all that. We know in the playoffs, that’s gonna be really important. We wanna get better at that, but at the same time, we’ve been finding a way. So that’s all that matters right now.”

Anaheim gave up the opening goal for the 46th time this season–moving into a three-way tie for most in the NHL with Philadelphia and Nashville–and the Ducks took over the league lead for comeback victories with their 25th.

“When they went ahead (2-1), I think, this is one of those nights,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “We’ve been so fortunate lately. It’s almost like your luck is going to run out one of these days, and again, we’re magically tied late and scored late, late in overtime. So, we’ll take it, you know, but I still think that it’d be nice to clean some things up.”

The Ducks (41-27-4, 86 points) kept up their five-point first-place lead over Edmonton (36-28-9, 81 points), which beat third-place Vegas (32-26-15, 79 points) on the road in overtime tonight. Anaheim has one game in hand on both the Oilers and Knights.

Anaheim concludes its three-game Western Canadian trip in Edmonton on Saturday against the Oilers. The Sporting Tribune will have ongoing live coverage from Rogers Place.

Granimal Unleashed

Mikael Granlund apparently loves to play in Alberta. In two games in Calgary and one in Edmonton with another on the way Saturday, Granlund has a combined eight points in those three games, including two hat tricks.

His latest magical feat comes in the hottest of hot stretches, where the 34-year-old Finnish Olympic captain has seven goals across a four-game goal streak. Granlund has five goals in his last two games.

“I guess I’ll just keep shooting as long as this lasts,” Granlund said. “Pucks are just going in right now, so obviously it’s a good feeling.”

Granlund centered the Ducks’ second line on Thursday, nestled between the veteran Alex Killorn on the left and rookie Beckett Sennecke on the right. After struggling a bit coming back from an upper-body injury suffered in Finland’s Olympic bronze-medal victory and moving around the line-up, Granlund has settled into place.

In back-to-back games, Granlund has potted a some necessary response goals, as the Ducks continue to find themselves down early, and in Calgary, Granlund particularly shined on the power play, where he netted the game-tying goal with 3:33 to play and the overtime-winner with one second left in the extra session.

“So good, obviously. So talented,” Jackson LaCombe said, “but just his compete and work ethic, just shows every night. You’ve got so much experience and obviously making plays like that’s huge for us. So, yeah, just see him doing awesome. He’s been good for us all year.”

FINAL/OT: Ducks 3, Flames 2

Power play in overtime sets up a last-second HAT TRICK for Mikael Granlund. His second of the season for Anaheim, and they’re 2-for-2 on the trip. Another comeback. This team.

To Edmonton Saturday.@SportingTrib | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/fFbYmH32Tk

— Zach Cavanagh (@ZachCav) March 27, 2026

Overtime Overlords

Unlike other members of the Pacific Division–namely the Los Angeles Kings with an NHL record-tying 18 overtime/shootout losses and Vegas’ 15 OTLs–the Ducks simply take care of business past the 60-minute mark.

Part of the reason Anaheim has vaulted to the league lead in comeback victories has been their late game-tying magic and a mastery of the three-on-three overtime period and shootout.

The Ducks are 17-4 past regulation–9-4 in overtime and 8-0 in shootouts–which outpaces the Minnesota Wild’s 15 extra session victories. The Wild are 15-12 past regulation. Only the New Jersey Devils have a better extra-time winning percentage with a 12-2 mark.

“I almost feel like we’re more comfortable in those areas, which is great,” LaCombe said. “We have such a fast team, and that it helps you some in 3 on 3 and open ice, and even the shootout, we have guys that can score so much. So I think that we just use our talents well.”

Granlund was just the first repeat overtime goal-scorer for the Ducks this season, as eight different players have scored overtime winners for the Ducks.

Injury Report: Terry out, Gudas leaves early, Harkins back to SoCal

Anaheim picked up an injury for the second straight game of this three-game road trip on Thursday, as Troy Terry did not participate in pre-game warm-ups and was out with a lower-body injury and Radko Gudas left late in the second period with a lower-body injury.

Quenneville said that Terry’s absence would be considered another maintenance day. Gudas would be further evaluated tomorrow in Edmonton.

Pavel Mintyukov was seemingly injured on the Flames’ go-ahead goal in the third period but returned to the game late.

Frank Vatrano skated in Terry’s right-wing spot on the top line with Leo Carlsson and Chris Kreider and on the the first power play unit.

Terry had returned from his second stint with a recurring upper-body injury just five games ago. The 28-year-old had scored in four of the five games with four goals and seven points across the five games.

Despite missing 20 games total with that upper-body injury, Terry has been the most consistent Ducks forward with 52 points in 51 games, a career-high points-per-game pace.

Gudas was playing in just his second game since returning from a five-game suspension for kneeing Toronto’s Auston Matthews. The Ducks captain was on the third defensive pair with Olen Zellweger.

When Mintyukov went down, the Ducks were without two defensemen for a majority of the third period, and Ian Moore shifted off the fourth line back to his traditional defensive spot to fill in.

Jansen Harkins, who left Tuesday’s game in Vancouver in the first period with an upper-body injury, returned home to Southern California for further evaluation.

Playoff Magic Numbers

At (41-27-4) 86 points, the Ducks’ magic number (combined number of points won by Anaheim and lost by the first team out of a playoff spot) to clinch its first playoff berth since 2018 is 11.

Los Angeles (29-25-18, 76 points), Seattle (32-29-10, 74 points) Winnipeg (30-30-12, 72 points) and San Jose (32-31-7, 71 points) are those first teams out. If the Kings and Kraken won their remaining games, they would get to 96 points, but Seattle has the regulation wins tiebreaker on Anaheim. The Jets can get to 92 points, and Sharks can get to 95 points.

Anaheim’s magic number to clinch the Pacific Division title is 14, with Edmonton capable of hitting 99 points and holding the regulation wins tiebreaker.