Hartford came out flying, setting the tempo early in the first period. Artturi Lehkonen opened the scoring just under four minutes in, converting a crisp pass from Mark Stone to put the home team up 1-0. The Whalers struck again late in the frame, this time courtesy of Matthew Tkachuk, who buried a feed from Anthony Cirelli to double Hartford’s lead.
Despite controlling the puck for much of the second period, the Whalers failed to add to their tally, as Shesterkin continued to frustrate the Hartford shooters. The Ducks, meanwhile, were limited in their own offensive opportunities and entered the third period searching for a spark.
Anaheim found their answer early in the final frame when Carter Verhaeghe struck just over two minutes in, trimming Hartford’s lead to 2-1. The Ducks fed off the momentum, and Dmitri Orlov knotted the game up at 8:21, pouncing on a loose puck and firing it past Simeon Varlamov.
The Whalers pressed hard in the dying moments of regulation and into overtime but couldn't solve Shesterkin, who finished the night with 38 saves. Though Hartford dominated play, the Ducks escaped with a point—a testament to their goaltender's brilliance.
With the result, Anaheim leaps into second place in the Dionne Division, while Hartford maintains its position atop the Stastny Division. The Whalers will look to turn their relentless offensive pressure into wins moving forward, while the Ducks will no doubt continue to ride their hot netminder.
Game stars:
Igor Shesterkin (ANH) – 38 saves, kept Ducks alive Carter Verhaeghe (ANH) – 1G, 1A, offensive spark in third Dmitri Orlov (ANH) – Game-tying goal, steady defensive presence