DALLAS – There is only one gear in the Anaheim Ducks game right now, and that is full steam ahead.

The Dallas Stars led 2-0 on two first-period power play goals, but the Ducks got their own two power play goals from Chris Kreider and Olen Zellweger and a shorthanded blast from Leo Carlsson to power forth to a 7-5 barnburner victory on Thursday at American Airlines Center.

Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier extended their point streaks to eight games, and Ian Moore collected his first career NHL goal.

Anaheim has won five straight with 25 goals over the course of the streak. The Ducks (9-3-1, 19 points) head to Vegas on Saturday with first place in the Pacific Division on the line.

Vegas is the first half of a back-to-back for Anaheim, with the Ducks hosting Winnipeg back in Orange County on Sunday.

Seven Scores, and Four Times Ago

What a difference one offseason has made to the Ducks’ offensive output.

By last season’s end, Anaheim was third to last in the league in goals scored with 217 total for 2.65 per game.

Through just 13 games this season, the Ducks are on top of the league with 54 goals and the only team in the league averaging more than four goals per game (4.15).

On Thursday in Dallas, Anaheim scored seven goals in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history, and it marked the first time in Ducks history the team had scored seven goals four times in one season.

Anaheim is the first team to score seven goals or more in its first 13 games of the season since the 2019-20 Pittsburgh Penguins and only the second team in the last 30 years to do so.

Youth Serving

A major reason–maybe the biggest reason among many–the Ducks have taken that offensive leap forward is the play of its young guns, who continued to lead the charge on Thursday.

With his second shorthanded goal of the season and an assist, Leo Carlsson registered 20 points in his first 13 games, tying franchise legend Teemu Selanne for fewest games to 20 points in Ducks history.

Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier’s eight-game point streaks are tied for third-longest by a player age 21 or younger in Ducks history. Paul Kariya also had an eight-game streak, as well as two nine-game streaks.

Gauthier also extended his multi-point streak to four games, tying Selanne, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry for second-longest in franchise history. Again, Kariya is the only player with a longer streak (six games).

Overall, the Ducks have 50 points from players 21 or younger through 13 games, which is the most since the 1992-93 Quebec Nordiques. (Yes, that is a team that no longer exists from the year before the Ducks franchise started play.)

That’s not including 23-year-old Ian Moore’s first career goal, a power play marker from 22-year-old Olen Zellweger or the empty-netter from 22-year-old Mason McTavish.

Chris Kreider Nine-in-Nine

Not to be outdone by the kids, 34-year-old Chris Kreider netted two goals on Thursday with a power-play snipe in the second period and a trademark tip-in in the third period.

Kreider has scored a goal in each of his four games since returning from hand, foot, mouth disease, which makes for nine goals in just nine games of his Ducks career.

Last season with the Rangers, it took Kreider 17 games to net nine goals, and two seasons ago when he scored 39 goals, it took Kreider 12 games to score his first nine.

Sweating It Out

For all of the offensive output, there is still plenty to correct in this one for the Anaheim Ducks.

It’s a game that as Chris Kreider said postgame on the broadcast that is fun to watch, but coaches hate. It’s one of those examples of which Joel Quenneville alluded to after the last game in Anaheim, where they cannot be content and want to get better.

Quenneville and the Ducks had outlined the dangers of Dallas’ power play, which entered the game at fifth-best in the league. However, they take those penalties out of the gate, and Dallas immediately converted.

Dallas scored on its first three power plays in just 1:26 of time on ice and was ultimately 3-for-5 in the game.

However, the Ducks still netted a shorthanded goal and put in two power play goals of their own. 

Anaheim had bucked a trend by scoring the first goal of the game over the last four games, but with Dallas striking first, it’s now eight times in 13 games that the Ducks have fallen behind to open the game.

However, the Ducks have made a habit of finding their pace as the game continues to come back for all these victories. After trailing 2-0 in Dallas, the Ducks earned over 80% of the expected goals in the second period to charge into the lead.

The Ducks are 4-3-1 in games where the opposition scores first. Anaheim is 5-0-0 when scoring first.