Oilers vs. Ducks Game 4: Key takeaways as Anaheim rallies twice, wins in overtime

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After a delay, on-ice officials ruled that Poehling had scored. The play then required a lengthy video review to determine whether the puck had completely crossed the goal line behind Edmonton goalie Tristan Jarry. Ultimately, off-ice officials in Toronto determined it did. The Ducks now have a chance to eliminate the Oilers, the two-time defending Western Conference champions, in Game 5 on Tuesday in Edmonton. The Oilers made a big move before the game by Jarry over Connor Ingram, and Jarry stopped 34 of 38 shots. Things seemed to be going fine for the Oilers overall early, as Kasperi Kapenen scored 38 seconds into the game and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins gave the Oilers a 2-0 lead with a power-play goal at the 6:32 mark. The Ducks stabilized from there, though, and punched back in the second period, with power-play goals by Cutter Gauthier and Mikael Granlund to tie the game 2-2. That set up another dramatic third period, and the Oilers seemed headed to victory after a second power-play goal, this one from Evan Bouchard 3:27 into the period. Bouchard buried a rising wrist shot past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal to cash in a hooking penalty on Anaheim forward Mason McTavish. But the Ducks weren’t done, as forward Jeffrey Viel scored on a rebound to tie the game with 6:29 remaining. Viel is one of 13 Ducks participating in his first NHL playoff series. Another one, goalie Lukas Dostal, stopped 24 of 27 shots, and did some of his best work with the game on the line in the third period. Late in regulation, Connor McDavid got loose into the Ducks’ zone and tried to wait out the outstretched netminder as he cut to the net. Dostal was up to the challenge as he got his right skate on the puck to deny McDavid. In the final minute, McDavid had another rush and got enough of an edge on Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe to force Dostal into another stop. Matt Savoie went for the rebound but Dostal stopped the second chance. Through the first two games of the series, an off-kilter power play seemed to be Edmonton’s primary concern. The Oilers had gone 0-for-6 at Rogers Place and, though they generated expected goals at a similar rate to the regular season, their shot volume was down about seven per 60 (55 from 62), in part because the Ducks were doing a good job at preventing Connor McDavid from gaining the zone in full flight off a drop pass from Bouchard. With that unit, though, it’s typically a matter of “when,” not “if.” Flash ahead a few days, and they’ve now scored goals on their last three opportunities, including two on Sunday night. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins put Edmonton up 2-0 at 6:32 of the first period, and Bouchard fired a laser over Dostál’s glove to give the Oilers a 3-2 lead. Bouchard’s goal came from the right circle, just four seconds into the penalty on a feed from McDavid. McDavid was one Oiler who wasn’t concerned by the slow start, noting on Friday that the unit — between injuries to Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman — hadn’t gotten much time together down the stretch. “It’s not just a light switch, so we’re working at it obviously and we’ll be a part of this series,” he said. “We will be.” The Ducks were 23rd in the NHL on the power play during the regular season and that was a disappointment considering the offensive skill they have and the expertise of assistant coach Jay Woodcroft in that area. But they’re thriving against the Oilers’ penalty kill at the right time. Anaheim’s power play has delivered in all four games. Gauthier beat Jarry with a clean snipe from near the right faceoff dot. The Ducks then got their sixth power-play goal of the series with a perfectly executed play. Troy Terry gained the Edmonton zone to get Anaheim set up. Granlund then got the puck from John Carlson and worked a give-and-go with Leo Carlsson. Granlund moved into an opening within the Oilers’ structure and got a return feed from Carlsson, shooting and scoring a goal in consecutive games. Granlund had four points in their Game 3 victory. It’s not as if the Oilers’ penalty kill was stingy all season. It was 20th in the NHL with a 77.8 percent success rate. But it has allowed six goals in 12 short-handed situations in this series. Jarry did make two key short-handed saves on Alex Killorn and Granlund that kept the Oilers in a 2-2 tie. A 13-save first period would be a good sign for any goaltender, and that went doubly for Jarry in Game 4. There were plenty of reasons why it was time for him and the Pittsburgh Penguins to part ways, and his consistently poor starts to games were one of them. To wit: when Pittsburgh placed him on waivers for the first time in January 2025, he had allowed a goal on the first shot he faced in six of his 22 appearances. On Sunday, Jarry didn’t face a puck until his team was already up 1-0, and that came on a largely harmless redirect by Mason McTavish. Credit the Oilers for easing him in to his first action since playing 20 minutes on April 8, but the level of difficulty increased as the period progressed and Jarry handled his business, including on a clear look by LaCombe from the right circle with 4:41 remaining and consecutive pad saves on Jacob Trouba and Viel 1:13 later. Edmonton’s improved defensive play buoyed Jarry a bit, particularly at the net-front, but he still made their 2-0 lead stand up and headed to the first intermission with nearly 1.2 goals saved above expected. Among Edmonton’s many problems in games 2 and 3 was the absence of Jason Dickinson, who exited the lineup after a recurrence of an ankle injury he suffered blocking a shot late in the regular season. Dickinson brings tons of value to a lineup on a night-to-night basis and he scored two crucial goals in the Oilers’ Game 1 win. Without him, the Oilers lost a layer of steady play and production behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Dickinson didn’t score in Game 4 — though he came close on a point-black opportunity early in the third period — but on a night when many Oilers again decisively lost their five-on-five minutes, he did offer a measure of stability. Dickinson is a relentless back-checker, which helped the Oilers cut back on the odd-man rushes that plagued them in Game 3, and a smart, highly aware player overall. Edmonton could use a couple more like him. Pavel Mintyukov went from an occasional healthy scratch early in the season to consistently earning top-four minutes while becoming a key part of Anaheim’s penalty kill, as well as the regular defensive partner of trade deadline acquisition John Carlson. The 22-year-old Mintyukov likely wanted a do-over in the first period on Sunday. On the game’s opening shift, Mintyukov couldn’t tie up Kapanen’s stick as the two jockeyed for position in the slot. Kapanen beat the youngster to a loose puck created off Jake Walman’s shot and banged it past Dostal to give Edmonton instant momentum. As LaCombe sat in the penalty box for interference, the Oilers’ once-scuffling power play got off to a strong start. Nugent-Hopkins took a shot into traffic at the Anaheim net. The puck caromed off the back of Mintyukov’s skate and went past Dostal. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms