Gauthier scores 2nd goal in OT, Ducks recover to defeat Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Cutter Gauthier scored his second goal of the game 1:52 into overtime to lift the Anaheim Ducks to a 3-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Sunday.

Gauthier carried the puck from his own blue line into the offensive zone, cut to the left circle and scored on a wrist shot for his first two-goal game in the NHL.

“I saw the two [Carolina players] there kind of communicating which guy to take. I just kind of took the open lane there and made a fake,” Gauthier said. “I had dinner with (Anaheim goalie) John Gibson, and he told me to shoot five-hole, so I shot five-hole and thankfully it went in.”

Seth Jarvis tied it 2-2 with 56 seconds remaining in the third period for the Hurricanes. With the extra attacker on, Jarvis took a pass on the backhand before spinning to his forehand and roofing a shot.

Jansen Harkins scored, and Lukas Dostal made 35 saves for the Ducks (18-20-5), who had lost three in a row (0-2-1). Anaheim was shut out 6-0 at the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

“We talked this morning about getting back to basics, and that always starts with your work habits,” Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said. “I thought guys worked hard, and obviously Dostal was the best player on the ice. And when your goalie is your best player, you’re probably going to win a lot of games.”

Andrei Svechnikov also scored for the Hurricanes (26-15-3), who had won two in a row. Pyotr Kochetkov made 17 saves.

“I thought we got better as the game went on,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It was a little sluggish start. I love how we fought and came back.

“We had our opportunities tonight. There were a couple goals there [Kochetkov] would probably like to have back, but that’s hockey.”

The Ducks took a 1-0 lead at 9:35 of the first period. Harkins received a centering pass from Nikita Nesterov in the slot and beat Kochetkov with a snap shot over the blocker. The goal was Harkins' first with Anaheim in his 30th game.

“We play hockey to score goals. For me, it’s definitely a boost for my confidence,” Harkins said. “Everyone is out there working their butts off. Personally, I’m just trying to bring what I can to the team.”

Gauthier made it 2-0 at 1:18 of the third period when he held off Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin in the left circle and flipped a shot that beat Kochetkov short side high.

“It’s a testament to our group and our character,” Gauthier said. “We’ve been great with back-to-backs all season long. We can’t let all those outside factors affect how we play a full 60.”

Sebastian Aho threaded a pass from the left circle to Svechnikov for a power-play tap-in at the right post to cut the lead to 2-1 at 7:48. The Carolina power play had gone 0-for-17 in the previous six games.

Earlier in the same power play, Aho had a goal overturned after Anaheim challenged for goalie interference.

“Huge. It’s been a while for the power play,” Jarvis said. “It’s nice to get one, and hopefully that continues.”

NOTES: Isac Lundestrom was 12-for-14 on face-offs for the Ducks. … Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere had three shots on goal and three blocked shots in 20:36 after missing eight games with an upper-body injury. … Svechnikov has five points (three goals, two assists) in a five-game point streak.