Final 26

Trevor Zegras scored a lacrosse-style goal in his return to the lineup, but the Ducks could not find a late tying goal tonight in a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at Honda Center.

NHL GAMECENTER | DUCKS STREAM

The loss, Anaheim's second in a row to open an eight-game holiday homestand, dropped the club to 12-21-0 on the season and 5-12-0 on home ice.

Zegras cut Anaheim's deficit to one midway through the third with his third career lacrosse-style goal, the most in NHL history.

Frank Vatrano also scored for the Ducks, a second-period power-play tally for his team-leading 15th goal of the season. Pavel Mintyukov and Troy Terry added assists. Lukas Dostal made 19 saves.

Oliver Bjorkstrand, Vince Dunn and Tomas Tatar scored for the Kraken, who pushed their point streak to six games and improved to 12-14-9 on the season. Matty Beniers tallied two assists, while Joey Daccord's brilliant evening in net proved the difference in the hockey game as the netminder turned aside 32-of-34 Anaheim shots.

Despite a 14-10 shots edge for the Ducks in an opening period largely controlled by the home side, it would be the visitors taking a 2-0 edge to the locker room on a pair of opportunistic counter-punches.

The first came immediately after Daccord denied Ducks winger Brett Leason on a shorthanded breakaway, sticking aside a forehand bid ticketed for the five-hole. Later in the shift, Jared McCann delivered a cross-ice pass to Bjorkstrand on right wing, which the former Blue Jacket rung off the crossbar and in for the night's opening marker.

Bjorkstrand has points in four of his last five games (3-3=6). The second-year Kraken winger co-leads the team in points and ranks second in goals and assists.

The assist was Dunn's 100th with the Kraken, making him the first player in the club's three-season history to accomplish that feat. He also ranks second in scoring and fifth in games played. 

This year, Dunn's 23 assists puts him tied for eighth among NHL defensemen.

After a few more big stops by Daccord, most notably answers to McTavish and Terry chances from the low slot, Seattle again made good on the goaltender's heroics - this time a 2-on-1 connection from Matty Beniers to Dunn.

Dunn set career highs in nearly every category last season, including games played, goals, assists, points and plus/minus, and then signed a four-year extension with Seattle last summer.

The reigning Calder Trophy winner as the NHL's top rookie, Beniers appears to be pulling out of a classic sophomore slump - now with five points in his last three appearances and 18 points in 35 games this season.

Anaheim finally broke through midway through the second on the front half of a double-minor against Seattle's Brandon Tanev for high-sticking. Right after a faceoff to Daccord's right, a loose puck bounced to Vatrano in the high slot, where he beat Daccord with a one-timer high to the glove side.

Zegras scores third career lacrosse-style goal, most in NHL history

Vatrano's goal snapped an eight-game scoring drought and gave him a team-high 15 in 33 games this season. 

Henrique has six points in his last four games (4-2=6) and is now two points shy of 500 for his NHL career.

Tatar restored the two-goal lead midway through the third for Seattle, lifting a backhander over Dostal's glove from a sharp angle after drifting through the slot. 

The goal was Tatar's second in four games since being traded from Colorado to Seattle last week.

Just when it seemed like Seattle would be able to sit on that two-goal lead for the game's final minutes, Zegras brought the Honda Center crowd to its feet with his third career lacrosse-style goal.

Zegras scores third career lacrosse-style goal, most in NHL history

The goal made Zegras the first player in NHL history to score three lacrosse-style goals, also known as "The Michigan". The move was originally popularized by University of Michigan forward Mike Legg in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. 

Mintyukov ranks second among NHL rookies this season and fourth in scoring. He leads all first-year defenseman in both categories.

The Ducks continue an eight-game homestand after the league's holiday break, Dec. 27 against Vegas.