Panthers vs. Ducks Recap: Granlund's OT Power-Play Goal Cashes Over

The Ducks beat the Panthers 3-2 in overtime on Sunday night, and the power play decided it. Anaheim scored three power-play goals on four chances, the last one a tip-in by Mikael Granlund at 4:14 of overtime. Florida outshot Anaheim 31-21 but came up empty on all four of its power plays. Lukas Dostal made 29 saves on 31 shots, while Jacob Markstrom stopped 18 of 21. Three DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game.

Cutter Gauthier opened the scoring on the power play at 16:18 of the 1st. Carter Verhaeghe answered with a tip-in at 17:09, and Gauthier struck on the power play again 47 seconds into the 2nd for a 2-1 Anaheim lead. That held until Brad Marchand tied it with a wrist shot at 18:10 of the 3rd, with 1:50 left in regulation. Then Granlund finished it in overtime off feeds from Leo Carlsson and Gauthier.

What cashed

ALT: Over 4.5 total goals: CASHED - Our read: The main total sat at 6.5 and leaned to the over for Anaheim's home opener, and the Ducks ran a 76.4% penalty kill last season. - What happened: 5 total goals, 0.5 over the line. Regulation ended 2-2, so the 4 goals in the first 60 minutes left it one short. Granlund's overtime winner was the goal that cashed it. - Worth watching: Special teams drove this one, with three of the five goals scored on the power play. When both clubs draw four power plays apiece, an alt over can be worth a look, but price matters on a line that only cleared by half a goal.

Brady Tkachuk 3+ shots on goal (-160 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Tkachuk had 3+ shots in 45 of 60 games last season and averaged 3.68 a game. We expected a big share of Florida's offense to run through him. - What happened: 4 shots on goal, 1.5 over the line, in 16:02 of ice time with 5:50 on the power play. He also threw 4 hits. - Worth watching: The usage is the story. Nearly six minutes of power-play time in a 16-minute night keeps his shot floor high, and that is the angle we would keep checking as long as the price stays in range.

Ryan Poehling under 1.5 shots on goal (-130 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Poehling was projected as Anaheim's third-line center and averaged 1.25 shots a game last season, 94 shots in 75 games. This was a longer shot that landed. - What happened: 1 shot on goal, 0.5 under the line, in 14:55 of ice time. Only 0:38 of that came on the power play, while 3:15 came shorthanded. He also took 10 faceoffs and won 3. - Worth watching: A third-line center with regular penalty-kill time and almost no power-play time is the profile for a low shot count. If his role stays the same, the under remains a reasonable look.

How the game played out

Florida carried the shot count at 31-21 and won 55.2% of the faceoffs, but it could not turn four power plays into a goal. Anaheim converted three of its four, with Carlsson assisting on all three and Gauthier scoring two. Both Florida goals came at even strength, and Dostal handled the heavier workload all night.

Trends to watch

• Florida's power-play group logged real minutes without a goal: Matthew Tkachuk 6:58, Sam Reinhart 6:52, Seth Jones 6:50, Sam Bennett 6:09 and Brady Tkachuk 5:50. That kind of usage keeps shot volume in play even on a quiet scoring night.
• Anaheim's top unit of Carlsson, Gauthier, Granlund and Beckett Sennecke each played about four and a half minutes on the power play. Gauthier put 4 shots on goal and Carlsson finished with 3 assists.
• Dostal faced 31 shots and Florida turned the puck over 23 times. Goalie save props on Anaheim's side are worth tracking if that shot gap holds.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. More on the NHL board, past NHL recaps, and how an alt line or a player prop works.