Ducks can't seal series, come out flat in Game 5 in Edmonton

Leon Draisaitl’s two-goal game and Evan Bouchard’s three-assist night powered Edmonton’s survival effort. Vasily Podkolzin and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid had two assist nights, with McDavid tying Patrick Kane for most career points in elimination games (25).

Alex Killorn scored the lone Ducks goal on a second-period power play.

Lukas Dostal gave up three goals on his first nine shots faced in the loss, and Ville Husso came on in nearly 50 minutes relief to make nine saves. After sitting in Game 4, Connor Ingram returned to the Edmonton net and made 25 saves in the season-saving victory.

There was no doubt the Oilers would come out firing in Game 5 with their series on the line, and just as it has all series, Edmonton got on the board first and more so.

Two minutes into the game, Bouchard pulled up inside the Anaheim blue line on the rush and picked out a streaking Podkolzin, who roofed it past Dostál on the first shot of the game, 1-0. It was the fifth straight game-opening goal for the Oilers and the second consecutive on the game’s first shot.

Dostál has given up a goal on his first shot faced 12 times this season, per Sportsnet Stats.

For the second straight game, the Oilers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a rough sequence for Dostál playing the puck behind the net. Edmonton sealed off the Ducks netminder’s passing options, which forced Dostál to fire it up the boards to no one in particular.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked it off in the zone and shot towards Hyman in front, who deflected a trickle through Dostál for the two-goal lead 8:33 into the first period.

Two minutes later, the Oilers forecheck sent the Ducks scrambling in their own zone, and eventually, a point shot by Bouchard was tipped in by Draisaitl for a 3-0 lead just over 10 minutes into the game.

It was the third goal that chased Dostál from the game, as Quenneville gave his starter the hook for the first time in this series. Husso faced the remainder of the game as the Ducks struggled to gain back ground.

Eight minutes into the second period, Anaheim’s power play stayed hot with a goal for the fifth straight game in this series and ninth straight game overall going back to the regular season. Mason McTavish fed Killorn in front for the Ducks’ seventh power-play marker in 14 extra-man opportunities in this series.

However, Jacob Trouba took a hooking penalty 18 seconds after the Ducks’ goal, and the Oilers kept pace on their own power play.

Game 4 overtime hero Ryan Poehling was aggressive trying to force a turnover at the blue line, but Bouchard held the line to find Connor McDavid charging off the bench. With the Ducks forwards high and McDavid barrelling down, a one-timer lane opened to Draisaitl, who deposited his second goal of the game, 4-1.

With the three-goal lead back in hand, Edmonton did well to simply absorb the Anaheim charge through the back half of the game.

The Ducks outshot the Oilers, 24-8, in the final 40 minutes – 11-5 in the second period and 13-3 in the third period. Anaheim pulled Husso for the extra attacker with five minutes to go, but the Ducks did not generate a shot with the empty net.

Anaheim actually got called for a too-many-men penalty with 2:42 remaining to kill any comeback effort.