Recap: Ducks Calm the 'Canes in 6-3 Home Opener Victory

The Ducks celebrated the club's 30th Anniversary Season home opener in style, racing out an early lead and downing the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3 tonight at Honda Center.

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With the win, Anaheim's club-record eighth straight home opener victory, the Ducks improved to 1-1-0 on the young season.

The win marked the first career NHL head coaching victory for Anaheim's Greg Cronin.

Defensemen Pavel Mintyukov and Jackson LaCombe each collected their first NHL point in the win, as the rookie duo teamed up to give the Ducks a three-goal cushion late in the first period with Mintyukov's first NHL goal - courtesy of one great pass from LaCombe.

Frank Vatrano powered the Anaheim offense from there with his second hat trick as a Duck, including the empty-netter that capped the 6-3 win. Cam Fowler and Sam Carrick also scored for the Ducks. Fowler, Ryan Strome and Mason McTavish also tallied multi-point nights. LaCombe, Brett Leason, Troy Terry and Jamie Drysdale added assists.

Starting his first career home opener, after veteran John Gibson manned the net last night in Vegas, Lukas Dostal stopped 31-of-34 Carolina shots for his sixth career NHL victory.

Teuvo Teravainen scored twice for the Hurricanes, who suffered their first loss in three games this season (2-1-0). Martin Necas also scored. Antti Raanta made 18 saves.

Riding the emotion of a sold-out Honda Center crowd, the first period was all Anaheim as the Ducks struck three times in the first 12 minutes to take a commanding three-goal lead to intermission.

Carrick brought the fans to their feet first just over seven minutes in, taking a pass off the wall from Leason before turning and burying his wrister over Raanta's blocker.

The 31-year-old Carrick made Anaheim's opening roster, his first such honor in the NHL, after posting five points in four preseason games. 

Vatrano scored two minutes later, beating Raanta from a sharp angle on right wing to put the Ducks up two.

With the primary assist, Drysdale now has points in back-to-back games to start the season.

The third goal of the initial period was a special moment for three different Ducks, two of whom found an NHL scoresheet for the first time in their young careers. As Strome sent the puck up ice to LaCombe, the rookie defenseman drove right to the slot before sliding a deft pass to Mintyukov, who tapped it home before Raanta could lunge acorss his crease.

The goal was Mintyukov's first in the NHL, less than 24 hours after he made his league debut last night in Vegas.

Meanwhile, with the assists, LaCombe (first) and Strome (400th) each collected milestone points.

The goal was just the fifth occasion in NHL history in which a defenseman scored his first career NHL goal with an assist from another defenseman recording his first NHL point on the play.

Carolina cut into the deficit late in the second period when Teravainen knocked a fluttering puck out of the air in the slot and quickly lifted a shot over the sliding Dostal's glove.

The Ducks would answer right back though, determined to maintain that three-goal cushion heading to the third. After a couple shifts spent in the Carolina defensive zone, Strome grabbed a loose puck on the forecheck, spotting his linemate Vatrano in the slot for a quick snapshot that beat Raanta to the blocker side.

Vatrano had three multi-goal games a season ago, part of a career-best 41-point campaign.

With an assist, McTavish has points in back-to-back games to begin the season.

Teravainen would again bring the Canes back within two early in the third period with a power-play goal, this time fooling Dostal with a slapshot from distance past the young netminder's blocker.

Necas then made it a one-goal game with 4:31 to play, signaling a tense final few moments at Honda Center, when the 24-year-old converted a chance at the far post before Dostal could get across.

It would be too little, too late for the Canes though, as Fowler and Vatrano hit empty nets to seal a 6-3 win in front of 17,278 Ducks fans.

The Ducks return to action Thursday against the Dallas Stars at Honda Center.