Lukas Dostal shines as surging Ducks edge Avalanche in shootout

DENVER — Lukas Dostal took on the league’s top team on its home ice and nearly pitched a shutout.

Mikael Granlund and Cutter Gauthier scored in the shootout and Lukas Dostal stopped 40 shots as the Ducks defeated the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche for their fifth straight win on Wednesday night at Ball Arena.

Jeffrey Viel scored in his second straight game as the Ducks kicked off their six-game road trip with an impressive win.

Artturi Lehkonen scored for Colorado, and Scott Wedgewood made 16 saves.

After a back-and-forth overtime, Granlund scored to open the shootout. Dostal stopped chances by Brock Nelson and Martin Necas before Gauthier won it on the Ducks’ third attempt.

Viel played 10 games with Boston before being dealt to the Ducks on Friday. He was in the lineup on Saturday night against the Kings and then scored his first goal of the season in Monday’s victory over the New York Rangers.

He got his second goal in three games with the Ducks early in the second period. Gauthier had the puck near the right boards and sent a pass to Viel as he skated down the left slot. Viel beat Wedgewood with a snap shot inside the left post at 1:27.

Dostal made the goal stand up for the rest of the period, stopping 11 shots and frustrating Colorado winger Ross Colton with a save on a redirect. Colton banged his stick of the glass at the missed opportunity.

The Avalanche outshot the Ducks 18-4 in the third and had two great chances in the first 20 seconds of the period but Dostal made a save on Nelson and another on Sam Malinski.

The Ducks played without top-line center Mason McTavish, who was a late scratch with an upper-body injury. Jansen Harkins replaced him in the lineup.

Colorado forward Valeri Nichushkin returned after missing Monday night’s win against the Washington Capitals. He was involved in a car accident on his way to the rink and was held out as a precaution.

The Avalanche played without Gabriel Landeskog (upper-body injury), defenseman Devon Toews (upper-body injury) and forward Joel Kiviranta (lower-body injury). Forward Logan O’Connor has yet to play this season as he recovers from offseason hip surgery.

Alex Killorn played in his 1,000th career NHL game for the Ducks. He spent 11 years with Tampa Bay, winning the Stanley Cup twice, before signing with the Ducks as a free agent in 2023.

More to come on this story.

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The Ducks visit Seattle on Friday at 7 p.m.