This one stings, Anaheim.
### It's Like, So Close
Okay, so I know a lot of you probably went to bed after the second period, or maybe even after the Golden Knights got up one in the third. And, like, I don't blame you, it was a late one out in Vegas. But if you did, you missed a *wild* finish. The Anaheim Ducks fell to the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime last night, but it was just so close to being a huge two points for the Ducks. Brad Sennecke kicked things off with a power-play goal in the first period, with those sweet assists from Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish. But Vegas answered back, also on the power play, with Pavel Dorofeyev tying it up. Then, in the third, Tomas Hertl put the Golden Knights ahead and it felt, you know, a little deflating, like trying to find parking at Disneyland on a Saturday. But then, *then*, Ollie Zellweger came through! With less than four minutes left in the third, he scored to tie it up and send it to overtime. It was incredible, another assist each for Gauthier and McTavish. We almost had it, but Dorofeyev got his second of the night in OT, and that was it.
### What It Means for Anaheim
So, it's a tough loss, especially with it going to overtime. We snagged one point, which is better than nothing, but losing that extra point to a division rival like the Golden Knights always feels a bit like a gut punch, you know? The Anaheim Ducks are still sitting third in the Pacific Division with 92 points, and our record is 43-33-6. We broke that winning streak, which stings, but hey, we still got a point! Our last ten games have been a bit of a mixed bag, 2-6-2, so we need to find that consistent energy. The boys are still fighting, though. You can see it in those moments like Zellweger's late goal. We have some important games coming up, and every point really, truly matters as we push through this back half of the season.
### The Mood in the OC
Honestly, it's a bit of a bittersweet morning here in Anaheim. There's that frustration of coming so close and not getting the full two points, but there's also, like, a real sense of pride in how the Anaheim Ducks battled back. It would have been easy to just roll over after Vegas took the lead in the third, but they didn't. They showed that fight, that Orange County grit. It’s what we love about this team. We're still in the hunt, and that's the main thing. We’ll shake this one off on the 5 and get ready for the next one.
Let's Go Duuuucks — from Anaheim, this is Sof.
The guys on "The Forecheck" dive into all this and more every morning; check them out live at mornings.live.