Joel Quenneville (via Getty Images)
History and momentum converged in Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night as veteran coach Joel Quenneville reached the milestone of his 1,000th career win, making him only the second coach in NHL history to achieve the feat.The victory further cements Anaheim’s current run of form and solidifies their position as a serious contender for the playoffs. More importantly, it marks a historic achievement in Quenneville’s coaching career—one that has been accomplished in the dramatic fashion that has come to define his coaching tenure.
Late heroics and young guns power Anaheim Ducks’ playoff charge
Joel Quenneville becomes 2nd coach in NHL history to hit 1,000 wins in 6-5 comeback | Ducks Postgame
The historic win came thrillingly as the Anaheim Ducks staged a comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 6-5 in their first game back from the Olympic break.
It marked a successful return for the Ducks, who were playing in their first game back from the Olympic break.The deciding blow came from rookie forward Cutter Gauthier, who scored the winning goal with just over a minute left after capitalizing on a rebound.Perhaps the biggest story of the game was the return of young gun Leo Carlsson, who had been sidelined for weeks with a thigh injury and had also sat out the Olympic tournament.
Carlsson made an immediate impact with a goal and two assists, doing his part to wipe out several deficits and spark the Ducks’ offense. Carlsson’s presence was especially felt in the third period, during which Anaheim wiped out yet another Oilers lead with quick goals from Carlsson and defenseman Olen Zellweger.The seesaw battle continued with a brief Oilers lead courtesy of a power-play rebound goal from rookie Matt Savoie.
Anaheim quickly retied the game with a goal from yet another rookie, Beckett Sennecke, who scored his 19th goal of the year to maintain his spot as the NHL’s top rookie scorer.The veterans also made their presence felt in the offensive explosion. Ian Moore and Alex Killorn scored for Anaheim, while Lukáš Dostál, their goalie, made crucial saves towards the end to calm the team.For Edmonton, the stars still shone bright despite the defeat. Connor McDavid had two assists, taking his league-leading total close to the century mark, while Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard scored goals in a dominating second period.If Anaheim’s current run of form is anything to go by, this match may well be remembered not only for the night that Quenneville won his 1,000th game but also for the night that their season truly kicked off.
