Henrique gets 1st NHL hat trick, Ducks top Devils to end skid at 5

NEWARK, N.J. -- Adam Henrique scored his first NHL hat trick for the Anaheim Ducks, who ended a five-game losing streak with a 5-1 win against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Sunday.

“It’s special,” said Henrique, who played his first seven NHL seasons (2011-17) with the Devils before being traded to the Ducks on Nov. 30, 2017. “This place was special for me for a long time. A lot of great memories here.

“I always enjoy seeing everybody and playing in this building. It is kind of funny that the first (hat trick) was here.”

Alex Killorn had a goal and two assists, Troy Terry had a goal and an assist, and Cam Fowler and Pavel Mintyukov each had two assists for the Ducks (11-19-0), who had been outscored 58-27 in their previous 14 games (1-13-0) and had not scored five goals in a game since a 7-4 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 28.

“I think the guys have done a good job of working through a lot,” Henrique said. “Certainly, it is nice to get a big win.”

John Gibson made 18 saves in two periods before leaving the game because of an illness. He was replaced by Lukas Dostal, who stopped all 10 shots he faced.

Akira Schmid made 23 saves for the Devils (16-12-1), who are 1-5-1 in the second game of a back-to-back this season (won 6-3 at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday).

“I think the frustration is more with execution, with some of the plays we made," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. "I think we were frustrated with each other when we missed opportunities. You have to be comfortable when it's an uncomfortable situation.

“That's all part of the game. It doesn't go your way every night. Sometimes you don't get the bounces, sometimes the puck doesn't come to you.”

Henrique gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 1:46 of the second period when he redirected a point shot from Mintyukov five-hole on Schmid for a power-play goal.

Henrique then made it 2-0 during a 4-on-4 at 11:17, scoring from the edge of the crease after another shot by Mintyukov was stopped by the right pad of Schmid.

Michael McLeod cut it to 2-1 with 44 seconds remaining in the second. He worked a give-and-go with Curtis Lazar to get around Jackson LaCombe before tapping a return pass into an open net.

“Our guys really do a good job putting it in the net most nights, but it didn't fall tonight,” McLeod said. “Some good looks, and I think we were getting a little frustrated later in the game.

“We had a lot a lot of chances. I think [Gibson] played well, and we just had to keep trying.”

Killorn pushed it to 3-1 at 4:14 of the third period, one-timing a cross-ice pass from LaCombe.

Terry made it 4-1 at 9:57. He roofed a shot short side over Schmid's glove from the top of the right circle during a 4-on-4.

Henrique completed the hat trick with an empty-net goal to make it 5-1 at 14:12. It was his ninth goal this season, five of which have come in the past four games.

“We’re trying to coach our players to believe that ultimately if you play the right way and generate chances, you’re probably going to win more of those games that you’ve lost,” Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said. “I thought we were shaky in the first, but in the second and third periods, I thought we played a real smart hockey game.”

NOTES: Anaheim rookie center Leo Carlsson was a healthy scratch. He has played in 21 of the 30 games this season, getting 14 points (eight goals, six assists). … Mintyukov has 16 points this season and leads all rookies with 15 assists. He is the second defenseman in Ducks history to get at least 15 points in his first 30 games, joining Fowler (17 in 2010-11). ... Vitek Vanecek was expected to start for New Jersey but felt a little off physically and was replaced by Schmid, who played against the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Nico Daws was called up from Utica of the American Hockey League to serve as the backup.