A depleted Anaheim Ducks squad received a major boost from defenseman Cam Fowler to snap a seven-game losing streak.
Fowler registered a hat trick, including the game-winning goal 36 seconds into overtime, as the Ducks (6-6-3) topped the Columbus Blue Jackets (7-6-1), 4-3, on Sunday night at the Honda Center.
Team captain Ryan Getzlaf, who is on a four-game point streak, was ruled out of Sunday's contest due to an upper-body injury. In addition to Getzlaf, the Ducks were playing without six forwards as Josh Manson, Max Comtois, Ondrej Kase, Nick Ritchie, Carter Rowney and Corey Perry were all unavailable.
Fowler took it upon himself to lead Anaheim, starting with two goals in the second period. With The Ducks trailing 1-0, Rickard Rakell lost control of the puck as he completed a toe drag on the right, but Fowler, coming in from the left, hit the loose puck into the net at the 9:09 mark.
The Windsor, Ontario native added his second goal with 1:34 left in the second period as he fired a wrist shot past Columbus goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. The Blue Jackets tied the game on Pierre-Luc Dubois' second goal of the night late in the third period to force overtime.
The hat trick was Fowler's first three goals of the season as he hadn't posted a goal since March 2 -- also against the Blue Jackets -- last season.
Cam Fowler is the seventh defenseman in NHL history to score a regular-season hat trick which included an overtime goal and the third to do so with the @AnaheimDucks. #NHLStats #CBJvsANA pic.twitter.com/hgnohSFDhk
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 5, 2018
With their losing streak over, the Ducks are now en route to Los Angeles to face the Kings (4-8-1) on Tuesday night. The Kings will be under new leadership as the team fired head coach John Stevens and assistant coach Don Nachbaur on Sunday.