Ducks Beat Oilers 5-2, Move On To Round 2

Photo: AP

By Michael Walters

The Anaheim Ducks hosted the Edmonton Oilers for Game 6 of their series. Lukas Dostal was in net against Connor Ingram.

Ryan Poehling got the Ducks on the board halfway through the first period. John Carlson took a point shot and Peohling deflected the puck sending it sliding just over the goal line before any Oiler could touch it.

Chris Kreider then scored about four minutes later to make it a 2-0 lead. Leo Carlsson found Kreider at the right face-off circle and he beat Ingram to the near post for the score.

Connor Murphy got Edmonton on the board about a minute later to cut the Anaheim lead to one.

The Ducks then went on the power play and Cutter Gauthier scored to restore the two goal lead. He scored on a one-timer that was deflected by Darnell Nurse which air mailed the puck up and over Ingram into the net. The Ducks led 3-1 after the first period.

Late in the second period the Oilers scored, but the puck was obviously kicked it and the goal did not count.

Troy Terry scored in the final minute of the period to make it a 4-1 lead after two periods. Carlsson and Terry broke in on a 2-on-1 rush. Leo fed Terry the puck and he beat Ingram low for the goal.

The Oilers scored in the opening moments of the third period to pull back within two. Kasperi Kapanen took a shot that deflected off Vasily Podkolzin and into the net.

Edmonton pulled their goalie in the final minutes of this contest and Carlsson scored into the empty net. The Ducks went on to win 5-2 and eliminate the Oilers.

Analysis:

The Ducks finally scored the first goal in a game this series. They also had the first period that they needed scoring three times to a build a 3-1 lead. Anaheim got another goal late in the second period to make it 4-1 at the start of the third period. Edmonton did push back and score to pull within two, but Anaheim then tightened up defensively shutting the door on Edmonton.

After having two rough first periods in Games 4 and 5, Anaheim was able to get the exact start they needed in this contest. It was important for them to get the lead especially at home, but to also keep the gas pedal down on the Oilers. The Ducks didn’t just sit on the lead to let the Oilers rally back. After playing their worst game of the series in Game 5, they played their best game of the series in Game 6.

The Ducks outshot the Oilers 26-17 through two periods building a three goal lead. They played discipline hockey and were not called for one penalty all night. They also scored once in their two power play chances.

Plenty can be said about the Ducks offense in this series. Poehling and Gauthier lead the team with four goals each. Poehling has been a great addition to the team because of his two-way game and penalty killing. The scoring has been an added bonus. Alex Killorn, Terry, and Carlsson each scored three times this series. Every forward with the exception of Ian Moore and Tim Washe scored a goal this series.

Defensively we have to talk about Jackson LaCombe and Jacob Trouba. This pairing went up against Connor McDavid frequently and really were able to contain him. McDavid had only one goal and five assists in this entire series. He also had an on ice rating of -8. He didn’t even have a point in the first two games or in Game 6. LaCombe ended up with more points than McDavid as he scored once and had eight assists. LaCombe was rock solid for Anaheim on the blueline this series. The fourth line also did a solid job against McDavid’s line.

The Ducks will now get time to rest a little bit as Vegas and Utah still have at least one more game to play. Vegas is up 3-2 in that series.

Team Notes/Stats:

This is the first the Ducks have won a playoff series since 2017.

LaCombe’s nine points in this series were second all time by a Ducks player. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry each hold the record with 10 points.

What’s Next?

The Ducks await the winner of the Vegas-Utah series.

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May 1st, 2026