Ducks Win Wild Contest; Quenneville Earns 1000th Win

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Edmonton Oilers in their first game after the Olympic break. Lukas Dostal was in net against Tristan Jarry.

The Oilers scored just 12 seconds into the game. Jack Roslovic got behind Radko Gudas and broke in alone on Dostal scoring glove side.

Edmonton then made it 2-0 just before the halfway point of the first period. Connor McDavid got to a loose puck behind the Anaheim net and found Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the slot for the score.

The Ducks got on the board a little over a minute alter. Ian Moore to a loose puck and one timed it from the right circle pst Jarry. Anaheimw as down 2-1 after the first period.

Alex Killorn scored early in the second period to tie the game at two. He scored on a rebound while Anaheim was on the power play.

The Oilers then scored twice within 35 seconds in the final minutes of the second period to make it a 4-2 Edmonton lead. Zach Hyman redirected a pass from Mattias Ekholm past Dostal. Bouchard then scored in close to give Edmonton back a two goal lead at the second intermission.

The Ducks answered back with two goals to start the third period. Leo Carlsson scored off a rebound just 1:30 into the period to pull Anaheim within one. Olen Zellweger then scored on a point shot through traffic to tie the game just until three minutes into the period.

A few minutes later Edmonton scored on the power play to make it a 5-4 game. Matt Savoie got to a rebound and beat Dostal in close.

Beckett Sennecke then scored with just over 13 minutes to go. He made a deceptive move with the puck in the slot and scored low on Jarry. He was pulled and Connor Ingram came in as relief.

Cutter Gauthier scored with just over a minute left to give Anaheim a 6-5 lead. The Ducks held off the Oilers in the final minute and won by the same score.

Anaylsis:

The Ducks got off to a slow start giving up two goals early in the first period. They were able to get back in the game with a goal later in the first period and then another at the beginning at the second period. The Oilers then dropped two more at the end of the second period. The Ducks answered back with two goals to tie the game up at four early in the third. The Oilers once again took the lead, but the Ducks then scored twice to pull out the win.

This was a willd game from start to finish. There were plenty of momentums wings throughout the contest. The Oilers look strong early on, but the Ducks were able to answer back. The Oilers again pushed on the gas at the end of the second and even had a lead in the third, but ultimately the Ducks were able to rally for a third time to win.

Overall this was a fairly even match with Anaheim putting 29 shots on goal to 27 for Edmonton. At even strength the Oilers did control the puck more posting a CF% of 60% and FF% of 61.19%.

Both teams scored on the power play. The Oilers scored once in their two chances and the Ducks scored once in their five opportunities.

A big factor in this game was turnovers and some poor defensive play. Anaheim turned over the puck 24 times in this contest. They also had some defensive breakdowns in the early seconds of the first period and the final minutes of the second period.

The Ducks looked a little rusty, which is expected after the long Olympic break, but they were able to pull out the win. Despite their mistakes and getting behind, they rallied down three separate times and came back to win.

Team Notes/Stats:

Head Coach Joel Quenneville earned his 1000th victory.

Ross Johnston played in his 300th NHL game.

Dostal is 9-1-0 in this last 10 games.

Sennecke leads all rookies with 19 goals.

Carlsson recorded his seventh career three-point game and tied William Nylander for the seventh most by a Swedish player 21 or younger. He had a goal and two assists looking great since returning from his injury.

This is the latest in the season the Ducks have been in a playoff spot since the 2017-18 season.

What’s Next?

The Ducks host the Winnipeg Jets Friday at 7 PM

 

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February 26th, 2026