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Canucks look to pick up steam at expense of Ducks

NHL: Vancouver Canucks at Los Angeles KingsFeb 26, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Vancouver Canucks right wing Conor Garland (8) celebrates with defenseman Marcus Pettersson (29) after a game-winning goal during overtime against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

The Vancouver Canucks will look to maintain their recent dominance over the Ducks when the Pacific Division clubs square off Thursday night in Anaheim, Calif.

The Canucks have won eight straight games against the Ducks, dating to the start of the 2022-23 season. Vancouver most recently skated to a 5-1 win in Anaheim on Nov. 5.

Both teams have been in a funk of late, however.

The Ducks will try to avoid their third straight loss, while the Canucks have struggled during their current five-game road trip. They lost the first two contests before picking up a 3-2 overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.

Anaheim squandered a two-goal lead in the third period of a 3-2 setback to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.

“They came out like gangbusters, and we were very fortunate that we were ahead in the first,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “They had multiple grade-A chances, and Lukas (Dostal) was awesome.”

Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson each scored a goal, and Dostal finished with 34 saves for Anaheim.

“Unfortunately, there were mistakes that cost us,” Ducks captain Radko Gudas said.

“I thought we held our ground for most of the night. Obviously it wasn’t the best first period; then in the second, we were a lot better. But unfortunately in the third, we did some mistakes that ended up costing us.”

Vancouver received some welcome news before Wednesday’s game with the return of its captain and leading scorer Quinn Hughes, who missed six games with an undisclosed injury.

Hughes set up the winning goal by Conor Garland while seeing 21:38 of ice time.

“It was huge,” Garland said of having Hughes back in the lineup. “He is one of the top three players in the world. When stuff goes awry, you can lean on him to make plays, and he did that in overtime.”

Canucks coach Rick Tocchet began his Wednesday on an optimistic note, saying that having Hughes back at practice gives his team a major boost.

“The practice level went up a notch,” Tocchet said. “He gets pucks to the net. When he does his dance, it makes people get to the net. That is something we have lacked since he was out.”

Garland scored his second goal of the game at 4:26 of overtime with a wrist shot from the left circle. He converted off the rush after the Canucks had killed a penalty and both teams still were skating 4-on-4.

“I decided to shoot this one,” he said. “It is hard to go 4-on-4, so it was a good play by the group out there.

“We hung in there, battled until the end and were rewarded.”

The Ducks will miss forward Trevor Zegras, who received a three-game suspension by the league on Monday for interference against Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen on Sunday.

Zegras is eligible to return for Anaheim on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers.

–Field Level Media

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Aiden Hezarkhani, Ariath Piol score to lead Real Salt Lake past Sounders

MLS: Seattle Sounders FC at Real Salt LakeFeb 28, 2026; Sandy, Utah, USA; Real Salt Lake forward Aiden Hezarkhani (39) controls the ball in the first half against the Seattle Sounders at America First Field. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

Young players Aiden Hezarkhani and Ariath Piol scored and veteran goalkeeper Rafael Cabral made eight saves, as Real Salt Lake won its home opener 2-1 over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday night in Sandy, Utah.

Cabral’s last save was perhaps his biggest, as he stopped Snyder Brunell’s volley from about 8 yards out in the ninth of ten minutes of second-half stoppage time.

Real Salt Lake improved to 14-1-4 all-time at home against Seattle, with the lone loss coming in 2011.

Cristian Roldan scored for the Sounders (1-1-0, 3 points) in the opener of a five-game trip.

After a couple of close misses by the Sounders in the opening minutes, RSL (1-1-0, 3 points) opened the scoring in the 23rd.

Zavier Gozo dribbled between three Seattle defenders then attempted a pass to the top of the 18-yard box. That was knocked away by Hassani Dotson, but the ball fell to Luca Moisa, who sent a pass toward the top left of the penalty area to Juan Manuel Sanabria, making his MLS debut. Sanabria sent a cross back across to Hezarkhani on the right wing and his left-footed half-volley rocketed into the near upper corner of the net, leaving leaping goalkeeper Andrew Thomas no chance.

RSL doubled its advantage in the 47th minute as Philip Quinton sent a long ball down the right wing for Gozo. He dribbled into the penalty area before sending a low pass to Piol for a tap-in from 5 yards out.

The Sounders pulled within 2-1 in the 62nd minute as Rusnak’s corner kick from the left wing was sent to the near post, where Roldan put a glancing header into the far side of the net.

It appeared Seattle tied the score in the 77th minute when substitute Danny Musovski volleyed home a cross from Paul Rothrock, but it was ruled Rothrock was offside when he accepted a pass.

Cabral made a leaping save to punch a header from Yeimar Gomez Andrade off the goal line in the 8th minute following a Seattle free kick from the left wing.

In the 14th, Cabral leaped to tip a 35-yard free kick by Rusnak slotted for the upper left corner of the net out of bounds. Cabral crashed into the post and needed medical attention but was able to continue.

And in the 20th, Cabral came off his line to get a hand on a Rusnak header on a broken play after a deflected cross.

Cabral again thwarted Rusnak, a former RSL standout, in the 61st minute, tipping a free kick over the crossbar.

–Field Level Media

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Anton Forsberg records shutout as Kings defeat Flames

NHL: Calgary Flames at Los Angeles KingsFeb 28, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Alex Turcotte (15) shoots the puck during the second period against the Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images

Anton Forsberg made 29 saves for the Los Angeles Kings in a 2-0 win against the visiting Calgary Flames on Saturday afternoon.

Forsberg, who had allowed 16 goals while losing his previous four starts, posted his second shutout of the season and 10th in his 11-year NHL career.

Alex Laferriere and Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings, who had lost five in a row, most recently an 8-1 drubbing against the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

Dustin Wolf made 35 saves for the Flames, who had won two in a row and three of four.

The Kings took a 1-0 lead at 15:36 of the second period.

Brandt Clarke started the play by making a diagonal pass from the neutral zone to Trevor Moore at the Calgary blue line. He skated in on Wolf before taking a wrist shot from the left circle that hit the near post.

Moore re-collected the puck in the corner, passed it to Quinton Byfield behind the net and he passed it out front to Laferriere. His initial shot from just below the right hash marks was saved, but Moore pulled the puck away from Wolf before he could cover it and Laferriere slapped in the puck from the side of the net for his 14th goal of the season.

The Flames went nearly 12 minutes without a shot on goal in the third period, helping the Kings maintain the one-goal advantage until Kempe scored into an empty net with 38 seconds left to make it 2-0.

Kempe has nine goals in his past 12 games against the Flames.

The Kings played without defenseman Drew Doughty (lower body) and forward Joel Armia (upper body), who were injured in the loss to Edmonton.

The Kings also announced on Saturday that winger Andrei Kuzmenko had surgery on a torn meniscus and is week-to-week.

–Field Level Media

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Senators extend Maple Leafs' skid with resounding win

NHL: Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple LeafsFeb 28, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot (72) celebrates with team mates at the bench after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Dylan Cozens had two goals and an assist, Drake Batherson scored twice and the visiting Ottawa Senators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 Saturday night.

Thomas Chabot added a goal and an assist for the Senators, who are 1-0-1 since the Olympic break. Linus Ullmark stopped 21 shots.

Morgan Rielly and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs, who are 0-3-0 since the break.

Joseph Woll allowed five goals on 28 shots before Anthony Stolarz replaced him late in the second period and made 12 saves.

The teams have split two games this season, with two more to come in the final month of the regular season.

Rielly scored from the left circle from Auston Matthews’ cross-ice pass from the right circle at 2:52 of the first period. It came two seconds after Cozens finished serving a roughing penalty.

Chabot leveled the game when he scored as the trailer from the high slot on Brady Tkachuk’s pass at 10:59 of the first.

The teams were tied after 20 minutes despite Ottawa holding a 16-2 advantage in shots on goal.

Cozens pounced on a loose puck to score from the edge of the crease at 3:03 of the second period. It came after Chabot’s shot from the left point was blocked in front of the net by Toronto’s Troy Stecher.

Batherson scored at 13:05 of the second on Ottawa’s third attempt during an onslaught on the Toronto net. Nylander answered 51 seconds later when he poked in his own rebound in the goalmouth.

Batherson came back to score on a 28-foot wrist shot at 15:15 of the second. Cozens added a power-play goal at 16:06. The Maple Leafs were serving a delay of game penalty after their unsuccessful challenge of Batherson’s goal.

A skirmish broke out early in the third period after a jam around the Toronto goal, resulting in two fighting majors and four minors.

Batherson had a chance at a hat trick but was foiled on a breakaway at 10:02 of the third period.

Toronto went on an ineffective power play at 10:27 that ended hopes of a possible rally.

Ottawa’s Shane Pinto rang the crossbar with a laser at 13:27.

–Field Level Media

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