Troy Terry and Mason McTavish scored in the shootout, and the Anaheim Ducks capped their five-game road trip with a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. The win marked a milestone for Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville, who earned a victory in his first game back in Sunrise since his 2021 resignation as Florida’s coach.
Leo Carlsson tallied a goal and an assist, and rookie Cutter Gauthier also scored to power the Ducks’ offense, while goaltender Lukas Dostal made 31 saves in a strong effort between the pipes. Anaheim improved to 2-2-1 on their road swing, snapping a brief skid in the process.
For Quenneville, Tuesday night carried an emotional weight. The 66-year-old coach was making his first return to Florida since stepping down in October 2021, when details emerged from a sexual-assault scandal involving his 2010 Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks team. Banned from the NHL for nearly three years, Quenneville was reinstated in May and quickly took over behind the Ducks’ bench. The three-time Stanley Cup champion received a mix of applause and boos from the crowd during pregame introductions.
“It’s good to be back in this building,” Quenneville said postgame. “There are a lot of memories here, and I’m proud of the way our guys competed tonight.”
Carlsson opened the scoring midway through the second period with a short-handed tally, extending his point streak to four games. Just minutes later, he set up Gauthier on the power play, giving Anaheim a 2-0 lead and Carlsson a team-best 11 points on the season.
Florida battled back late, as Anton Lundell cut the deficit to 2-1 early in the third before Sam Reinhart tied it with just under three minutes left in regulation. Reinhart’s goal — his fifth of the year — forced overtime, but neither side could break through in the extra frame.
In the shootout, Terry and McTavish converted on back-to-back attempts, while Dostal denied both Florida shooters to seal the victory.
Daniil Tarasov made 15 saves for the Panthers, who were playing shorthanded due to a wave of early-season injuries. Florida was without forwards Jonah Gadjovich (upper body) and Brad Marchand (personal reasons), leaving the club searching for lineup consistency as the schedule intensifies.
“We fought hard to get it to overtime,” said Panthers coach Paul Maurice. “But we can’t afford to dig ourselves that kind of hole and expect to keep getting points.”
The Ducks will return home to face the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, while the Panthers continue their homestand against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.