Recap: Strome Nets Another Game-Winner as Ducks Down Devils 3-2

The Ducks capped their 2024 slate with a thrilling win over one of the NHL's top teams, tonight downing the New Jersey Devils 3-2 at Honda Center.

NHL GAMECENTER | DUCKS STREAM

The win, Anaheim' second in a row to end the calendar year, pushed the Ducks to 15-17-4 on the season.

Ryan Strome broke a 2-2 tie with three minutes to play, helping the Ducks overcome a controversial no-call and subsequent Devils comeback attempt late in the third period.

Troy Terry and Robby Fabbri also scored for Anaheim. Frank Vatrano collected two assists. Lukas Dostal earned his 10th win of the season, and his fourth in his last five starts, with stops on 32-of-34 New Jersey shots.

Jonas Siegenthaler and Timo Meier scored for the Devils, who fell to 24-13-3 on the season. Veteran goaltender Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves.

Anaheim claimed the night's initial lead on its first shot off the game, just past the midway mark of the first, when Terry took a centering pass from Strome in the slot and beat Markstrom with a changeup under the glove.

The goal gave Terry points in three straight games and 28 points in 36 appearances this season. Terry leads the Ducks in nearly every offensive category, including points, goals and assists.

The Ducks would nearly double the lead twice in the middle frame on breakaways by Isac Lundestrom and Robby Fabbri, but would come up empty each time - one a clutch save by Markstrom and the other shot a backhand bid off the crossbar that bounced wide of the goal.

Instead Anaheim would break through for what would end up being a crucial insurance goal early in the third period, as Fabbri took a cross-ice pass from Gauthier off the rush and lifted his shot over Markstrom from in tight.

With the assist, Gauthier now owns five points in his last five games.

Fabbri has found the scoresheet in four of his last five games, including four goals in that span.

New Jersey would then get on the board moments later on a tough bounce for Dostal, a point shot by Siegenthaler that hit off Brett Leason's stick and changed course past the Anaheim netminder.

The Devils would then tie the game on a strange sequence with seven minutes to play. Anaheim first appeared to have a quality scoring chance in front of the net, but Lundestrom was high-sticked at the moment of truth, causing the Anaheim player to fall to the ice. Shockingly to the fans, players and others within the building, no penalty was called on the play. New Jersey then tied the game on the next shift as Meier beat Dostal off the rush.

But as they say in hockey, puck doesn't lie, and it certainly did not following the controversial no-call as Anaheim went right back ahead on a bullet through traffic by Strome at the right point.

Strome's two-point night was his fourth multi-point perfomance of the season.

The Ducks begin a two-game road trip Thursday in Winnipeg.