Game Recap: Ducks vs Sharks 2/29

SAN JOSE -- Adam Henrique had a goal and two assists, and the Anaheim Ducks held on for a 6-4 win against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Thursday.

Alex Killorn had a goal and an assist, Frank Vatrano and Leo Carlsson scored, and John Gibson made 24 saves for the Ducks (21-35-3), who ended a three-game skid. Jackson LaCombe and Ryan Strome each had two assists.

"It’s a rivalry game, it’s always fun to play those games," Anaheim defenseman Radko Gudas said. "They're a big, heavy team. I thought we played very physical as well."

Anthony Duclair had two goals and an assist, Mike Hoffman had a goal and an assist, and Mikael Granlund had three assists for the Sharks (15-38-5), who have lost five straight. Kaapo Kahkonen made 24 saves.

"I liked our game, I just didn't like the score," San Jose coach David Quinn said.

Duclair put the Sharks ahead 1-0 at 2:47 of the first period when Fabian Zetterlund set him up for a shot through traffic.

Carlsson tied it 1-1 at 3:07, tipping in a cross-ice pass from Killorn.

Brett Leason’s short-handed goal gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead at 4:37 after Pavel Mintyukov set him up for a wrist shot.

Killorn extended it to 3-1 at 5:18 of the second period when he scored five-hole on a breakaway.

Mike Hoffman cut it to 3-2 at 10:26 on the power play, scoring on a slap shot through traffic before William Eklund tied it 3-3 at 15:40 with another power-play goal, on a wrist shot that went bar down.

"The power play was way better than it's been, but it's unfortunate that we couldn't win today," Eklund said.

Vatrano put Anaheim back ahead 4-3 at 17:35 with a one-timer from the right circle on the power play. Henrique scored another power-play goal 1:06 later on a redirection to make it 5-3 at 18:41.

"That was huge; they had all the momentum," Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. "We got those two [power-play goals] and obviously every game has momentum. We felt we were in control of the game for most of that second period. And we got the two power-play goals and took a lot of stress off of us."

Duclair's second goal cut it to 5-4 at 8:30 of the third period on a 4-on-3 power play. He scored on a rebound in front.

Isac Lundestrom scored into an empty net at 19:36 for the 6-4 final.

"I think, after the last game, it was one of those games where everybody had to step up, especially in front of our home fans," Duclair said. "We wanted to make sure we ended this homestand on a good note. Obviously, it didn't go our way again, but I liked the way we competed and battled back and stayed in it right there until the end."

NOTES: Carlsson, 19, ended a 22-game goal drought with his ninth goal of the season and is three behind Stanislov Chistov (2002-03) for the most in a season by a teenager in franchise history. ... Anaheim traded defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday for Toronto’s third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft as part of a three-team trade also involving the Carolina Hurricanes. It will be the second stint in Toronto for Lyubushkin; the 29-year-old played 31 games for Maple Leafs in the 2021-22 season. … Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler left the game 21 seconds into the first period after being hit in the face with a puck. He is day to day, Cronin said. … San Jose defenseman Ty Emberson sustained a lower-body injury during the last shift of the first period and did not play after that. It is unclear if he will travel with the Sharks on their upcoming road trip.