Ducks hold on for 4-3 win on Friday night Dostal makes 52 saves in win, Vatrano hits for double

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In Anaheim, Ducks fans paid to watch Lukas Dostal make 52 saves on Friday night in a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Frank Vatrano hit for a double in the Ducks win, increasing his value on the trade market .

The Ducks moved to 22-35-3.

Dostal nailed down the win when he stopped Jack Hughes on a penalty shot with two seconds left on the game clock.

“It’s my job to be there,” Dostal said. “Just stop the pucks.”

Anaheim swept the two-game season series from New Jersey.

Vatrano was called on the penalty that resulted in the free shot.

“I knew it was a penalty, I just didn’t know it was a penalty shot, so I wouldn’t have done that,” Vatrano said. “When I last looked at the puck, it was kind of laying on the goal line. … By the time I pushed the net off, the puck was already behind the net. It was one of those reactionary plays.”

Vatrano got the Ducks going when he staked them to a 1-0 lead at 3:37 of the opening stanza.

Vatrano scored off the first Ducks shot of the game when he was left alone on the right side of the low slot.

New Jersey replied with a goal from Timo Meier at 17:24, scoring off a backhand.

“We’ve got to take it in our game that we’re fighting for our lives,” Meier said. “We’ve got to go into every battle wanting to win it.”

The Ducks took a 2-1 lead into the middle frame when Adam Henrique scored at 18:15 of the first. Again, the New Jersey defense was caught sleep walking after turning the puck over below the goal line. Henrique was uncontested for a wraparound goal.

New Jersey dropped to 30-26-4.

In the middle frame, the Ducks were again left unmolested in the slot.

Max Jones scored off a tip in in the mid slot off a pass from Gustav Lindstrom’s pass from the above the right circle.

“I kind of just found a soft spot and hoped [Nyquist] saw me and he did,” Jones said. “Great look, great pass, great pass shot, so just had to deflect it into the net.”

Jack Hughes scored a power play goal at 15:27 to make the score 3-2.

Vatrano collected his double on his 29th strike of the season at 17:08 of the second.

Vatrano was sprung on a partial breakaway and went forehand to backhand for a rising shot and 4-2 lead to Anaheim after two periods.

In the third, New Jersey trimmed the deficit back to one, 4-3, at 17:03 when Tyler Toffoli hit off a power play to make the final three minutes a bit more challenging for the Ducks.

Nico Daws got the start and made 10 saves before the leaving the ice early in the third period. He surrendered all four Ducks goals.

Akira Schmid  made eight saves in relief.

“We had tons of chances but just gave up too much again,” New Jersey’s  Nico Hischier said. “We should win that game 3-1, 3-2.”