Oilers vs. Ducks Game 1: Key takeaways as Edmonton rallies after blown lead

AtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksNHL playoff predictionsBracketStanley Cup tiersNHL Draft rankingRed Light NewsletterNHL Playoffs Jake Walman battles Mason McTavish during the first period. The Ducks and Oilers played a close Game 1 on Monday. Leila Devlin / Getty Images Share article3EDMONTON — For those expecting the Edmonton Oilers to make short work of the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the first 20 minutes of Game 1 on Monday night suggested they would be correct. The second 20 minutes suggested they were wrong — and the final 20 minutes kept the possibility on the table. Edmonton held a two-goal lead after the first period, watched it leak away during a disastrous second period and then came all the way back in the third, beating the Ducks 4-3 at Rogers Place on a late goal by Kasperi Kapanen, his second of the game. Oilers center Jason Dickinson, a defensively impactful third-liner who missed the final few regular-season games because of an injury, scored twice, including a goal with 2:39 left in the first period after defenseman Jake Walman sprung him for a mini-breakaway. He added the crucial score-tying goal at 11:30 of the third, after a Mattias Ekholm shot off Anaheim goaltender Lukáš Dostál’s pads. Kapanen’s first goal made it 2-0 late in the first period. Troy Terry got the Ducks on the board 19 seconds into the second period, and then, 4:19 later, set up Leo Carlsson with their own rebound opportunity off Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram. Anaheim controlled the run of play for the rest of the period, adding another goal by Terry that put it up 3-2 at the second intermission. Connor McDavid’s streak of registering at least 1 point in every Edmonton victory this season finally came to an end, but you won’t hear any complaints from the Oilers captain. His teammates found a way to rally for a third-period victory without the NHL’s scoring leader finding the scoresheet. That didn’t happen in any of Edmonton’s 41 regular-season victories this year. McDavid had some dazzling rushes throughout the night, as per usual, but he also appeared to be forcing it at times. In particular, the Oilers’ power play struggled to make clean entries, and McDavid had a couple of turnovers at the offensive blue line. McDavid finished with three shots on goal. Leon Draisaitl played his first game since suffering a knee injury March 15 and made good on his promise to “find ways to contribute” while rediscovering his timing and adjusting to game speed. That injury forced him to return home to Germany for treatment and included what Draisaitl termed “lonely times” grinding alone on his rehab work, but he looked surprisingly spry while jumping directly into the playoff cauldron. Draisaitl moved around the ice well and found the scoresheet in his first period back — sending a touch pass to Kapanen in the slot to put the Oilers up 2-0 before the intermission. Not only did that make him the 12th player in league history to hit 90 career playoff assists, but he also became the fastest among the group to get there in just 98 games (besting former Oiler Jarri Kurri’s mark of 117 games). He also picked up a secondary assist on Kapanen’s game winner. If there’s one area where Draisaitl will likely put in extra work before Game 2, it’s on his patented one-timer. The sniper’s timing appeared a touch off, particularly during a second-period power play in which he whiffed on one attempt and fired another wide. As Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek revamped the roster during the club’s rebuilding period, and longstanding veterans such as defenseman Cam Fowler and goaltender John Gibson were eventually moved out, Terry would become the franchise’s longest-tenured player. The 28-year-old right wing, who has been with Anaheim for nine seasons, joined a multitude of teammates Monday who played their first playoff game. He would make the long wait worth it with an (at the time) momentum-changing second period, in which he factored in all three Ducks goals. In the opening minute, Terry banged in a rebound left by Ingram after an initial stop on Carlsson. That got the Ducks right into the game after a rough opening 20 minutes. Terry returned the favor just over four minutes later as his shot created a rebound that Carlsson knocked into an open net for a 2-2 tie. And when the Ducks gained a power play on Darnell Nurse’s cross-checking penalty, Terry ripped a wrist shot over Ingram’s left shoulder to give Anaheim its first lead. If the entire season didn’t provide a convincing argument about the Ducks’ need to play a stiffer brand of defense, the Ducks were quickly reminded of that in the first period when the Oilers steadily gained better offensive chances and then cashed in. The Anaheim blueliners had some moments to forget. Tyson Hinds, who has six NHL games under his belt after spending most of the year in the AHL, got caught unprepared as Edmonton’s Jake Walman sprung Jason Dickinson for a breakaway finish past Dostal. And it was 2-0 just 60 seconds later. Pavel Mintyukov lost a puck battle with Oilers winger Vasily Podkolzin, who got the free puck to Drasaitl. Eventually, Kapanen was free to put in a rebound as Mintyukov’s partner, John Carlson, went to the ice on Kapanen’s first shot and failed to bat away the loose puck. Then, in the third period, Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas fell to the ice before the Oilers’ score-tying goal in the third period. It wasn’t just the Ducks’ defensemen who had it rough. Chris Kreider committed a bad turnover that sparked Edmonton’s possession on the first Kapanen goal. Kreider would get moved off the top line to open the second as Mason McTavish took his place. Anaheim finished 29th in goals against during the year. The Oilers dressed a lineup at full health for the first time all season, but that didn’t last long. Veteran forward Adam Henrique, a longtime Duck, clutched at his knee after falling awkwardly and didn’t return to the game after the 17:51 mark of the first period. There was no official update from the Oilers on his status. Edmonton got another scare when Zach Hyman was shaken up by a reverse hit from Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe that appeared to leave him stunned during the third period. Hyman went straight to the Oilers dressing room for evaluation, but returned to the bench after a couple of minutes and took his usual spot on the top line with McDavid and Matt Savoie. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms