Adam Larsson and Mark Letestu each scored two goals, and Leon Draisaitl added a goal and three assists as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
Back home in Edmonton, spectators were alternately cheering wildly and holding their breath at a road-game watch party at Rogers Place.
Game 3 is Tuesday night. Edmonton had won the first two games in Anaheim.
"Well, I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't", he shrugged, when called out on it by a reporter. John Gibson made 27 saves.
"We didn't have enough net presence on the goaltender, (Cam) Talbot got to see too many pucks", Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. You don't want to be down two games heading to Northern Alberta. Experience. Desperation. All the things that will fuel a team like theirs in a situation like they faced here. Both Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi notched goals in Game 3. The goal was similar to his first score, converting a rebound of a Draisaitl shot with Connor McDavid earning the secondary assist. He followed up a two-shutout first round against San Jose and a wild Game 1 victory in Anaheim by protecting a lead for almost 59 full minutes in Game 2.
The Ducks plan to spend the two-day break between Games 3 and 4 in Kelowna, British Columbia.
"Personally, I thought I had a pretty good game", Talbot said. Edmonton however needed 6 games to get past the San Jose Sharks in their opening playoff round. "I think we need to be simple", he explained. "And like I tell him all the time, goalies are supposed to stop the puck".
Jakob Silfverberg scored the tying goal with 9:13 to play in regulation for the Ducks, who lost in regulation for the first time in 19 games since March 10. Overall, Holtby's postseason numbers don't inspire confidence - 22 goals allowed in eight starts and a.911 save percentage - but Trotz is sticking with his guns as the Caps head to Pittsburgh in an 0-2 hole. Ducks D Kevin Bieksa sat out a second straight game with a lower-body injury.
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Letestu cleaned up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' shot during 55 seconds of 5-on-3 play to tie up the game.
"Moving forward we are going to be a lot better", McLellan said.
"You hope you can capitalize when you get opportunities", said Cogliano. Unfortunately for them, their team got scored on twenty-five seconds into the game.
It was only Sekera's second playoff goal, the other came in 2011.
That's the advantage of having the Ducks focus so much on McDavid or Draisaitl, Larsson said, and it's a matchup the supporting cast will have to take advantage of in games to come.
Anaheim gradually turned the period in its favor, but couldn't score.
Maroon had four goals in 16 playoff games at Honda Center during his five seasons with the Ducks. "They tip one, it goes off a guy and goes in". They held on 2-1 thanks to exceptional play from Cam Talbot, an undrafted goalie who played his college hockey way off the beaten track in Huntsville, Ala.
It will be tough for the Ducks, though, if Talbot can continue to play like he did on Friday. And since the NBCSN feed is basically an Edmonton broadcast, everyone got to hear about it every thirty seconds for rest of the period. The Ducks scratched F Nick Ritchie with an apparent case of the flu.
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