Recap: Ducks Prospects Fight Back, Fall 2-1 to LA in Rookie Faceoff Finale
Recap: Ducks Prospects Fight Back, Fall 2-1 to LA in Rookie Faceoff Finale
Coulson Pitre tied the game late in the third period but Quinn Olson scored the game-winner in overtime as the LA Kings downed the Ducks prospects 2-1 in the 2024 Rookie Faceoff finale at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo.
DUCKS STREAM | GAME STATS
The loss capped Anaheim’s three-game tournament slate at 1-1-1.
Pitre scored the lone goal for Anaheim, leveling the score at one with just over five minutes to play. Tristan Luneau and Alexandre Blais tallied assists. Vyacheslav Buteyets and Michael McIvor combined for 29 saves.
Olson and Francesco Pinelli scored for the Kings, who also finished the weekend at 1-1-0. Goaltenders Carter George and Erik Portillo split the afternoon in net, teaming up to stop 28-of-29 Anaheim shots.
Despite a heavy early edge in shots for Anaheim, it was Los Angeles getting on the board first four minutes into the middle frame when Pinelli converted a centering pass from defenseman Cole Krygier off the rush.
Winger Sasha Pastujov nearly leveled the score for the Ducks with a breakaway in the opening minutes of the third, but could not squeak his backhand bid between Portillo’s legs.
Tyson Hinds was awarded a penalty shot a few minutes later after jumping on an LA turnover at neutral ice and getting dragged down from behind on the subsequent breakaway, but once again Portillo responded to the 1-on-1 opportunity.
McIvor made Anaheim’s best stop of the game, and maybe of the whole weekend, with just over 13 minutes to go in regulation, lunging across to deny Pinelli on a backdoor pass.
McIvor would then have his chance at a penalty shot too, shutting down Koehn Zimmer with a blocker save and giving Anaheim another chance at a late comeback.
Moments later, Pitre made good on his teammate’s clutch stops, delivering the tying goal on a remarkable individual effort – taking a cross-ice pass from Blais and fighting through a check to beat Portillo to the blocker side while falling to the ice.
Pitre ties the game! #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/TdCwqQoA9o
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) September 17, 2024
Pitre, who will play his first professional season this fall, and Blais each found the scoresheet in two of three Rookie Faceoff games.
Olson scored the game-winner with 33 seconds left in overtime, following up his own attempt and punching home a loose puck in the Anaheim crease.