Recap: Carlsson, LaCombe Lead Ducks to 6-2 Rout of Bruins

The Ducks crafted one of their best performances of the 2024-25 season tonight on home ice, rolling to a 6-2 victory over the Boston Bruins at Honda Center.

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With the win, Anaheim improved to 31-32-8 on the season, 13 points back of a playoff position with 11 games still to play.

Leo Carlsson scored twice for Anaheim, highlighting a night where six of the seven Ducks to find the scoresheet were age 23-or-younger. Nikita Nesterenko, Jackson LaCombe, Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish also scored. Alex Killorn tallied two assists, the first marking his 300th career NHL helper.

Goaltender John Gibson earned his 11th win of the season, and the 204th of his NHL career, with stops on 23-of-25 Boston shots. Gibson is now two victories shy of matching J.S. Giguere for the most in Ducks history (206).

David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie scored for the Bruins, who fell to 30-34-9 with the club's seventh straight loss. Joonas Korpisalo made 31 saves in net.

Anaheim controlled the pace of play throughout the opening period and eventually broke through for the night's first lead with less than two minutes to go before intermission. The chance started way back in the defensive zone, as Carlsson pulled a loose puck free and skated ahead on a 2-on-1 rush with Killorn, sliding a short pass to his linemate in the neutral zone before racing up ice. Killorn then gained the blue line and feathered the return feed back to Carlsson, and through a Boston defender in the process, giving the young center plenty of space to beat Korpisalo high to the blocker side while all alone in tight.

The go-ahead goal made Killorn just the second Harvard University alum to record 300 career NHL assists and the 13th player to do so from the 2007 NHL Draft. Killorn has earned points in each of his last three games (2-2=4) and six points in his last seven outings.

Carlsson's shorthanded tally was the first of his young NHL career. The second-year pro has been one of Anaheim's most consistent offensive players since the club returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off break one month ago, ranking second among team leaders with 16 points in 17 appearances during that span.

With the secondary helper, Helleson has collected points in two of his last three games. The former second-round pick, now getting his first extended run in the NHL, ranks second among all rookie defensemen with 12 points on the season.

The Ducks then doubled the lead late in the middle frame on another 2-on-1 rush, this time a drive to the net by Nesterenko for a shot first off Korpisalo and then defenseman Michael Callahan before trickling over the goal line.

Nesterenko has scored in three of his last four games, and now owns four goals in 12 appearances this season.

Boston would very briefly get back within one moments later on a 5-on-3 power play, as Pastrnak beat Gibson over the glove from the top of the right circle.

Pastrnak, Boston's leading scorer in each of the last three seasons, has recorded 12 goals in 18 career matchups against Anaheim.

But the Ducks would reclaim full control before the end of the second period with goals by LaCombe and Gauthier 48 seconds apart.

LaCombe first pushed the advantage to 3-1 on one of the weirder goals of the season, a flip from behind the net that bounced off center Pavel Zacha and the crossbar before sliding down Korpisalo's back into the net.

The fortuitous carom gave LaCombe points in three straight games and moved him into a tie for eighth among NHL defensemen in goals (13). LaCombe, now with 14 points in his last 17 games, paces Ducks defenders in points, goals and assists this season, his second in the NHL.

LaCombe's 13 goals this season are also the most by a Ducks defenseman since Hampus Lindholm netted as many during the 2017-18 campaign. Lubomir Visnovsky holds the club record (18).

Gauthier then scored on the next shift, extending Anaheim's lead on a goal the Boston netminder certainly wanted back - a low shot from a sharp angle in the left wing corner that snuck under Korpisalo's right leg pad.

With the goal, Gauthier continued his climb up the NHL rookie scoring leaderboard this season - now fifth in points, tied for fourth in goals and seventh in assists.

Carlsson kept the fun going early in the third, answering the "We Want Chicken" calls within Honda Center as the finisher on a brilliant pass by LaCombe. The defenseman sparked the chance on the left wing wall, intercepting a Bruins clearing attempt and delivering a centering feed to Carlsson, who roofed it Korpisalo's glove for a four-goal Ducks cushion.

McTavish then made it 6-2 on another goal off the rush, flying down left wing and again victimizing Korpisalo's glove hand with a shot up high.

With the goal, McTavish set a new career high in points (44) and matched his career-best total in goals (19). The 21-year-old is now second among Anaheim team leaders in scoring this season and tied for second in goals.

Geekie capped the scoring with seven minutes to play, providing a late bright spot in an otherwise long night for the visitors.

The Ducks continue a five-game homestand Friday against the New York Rangers.