The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in overtime, pushing the Oilers to the brink of elimination. Ryan Poehling scored the winning goal, overcoming a two-goal deficit in a thrilling match at Honda Center.
The Ducks rallied from a two-goal hole and took a commanding advantage over the two-time reigning Western Conference champions with a 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers at a raucous Honda Center on Sunday night.
Ryan Poehling scored the game-winning goal at 2:29 of overtime on a seeing-eye shot that flummoxed Oilers goalie Tristan Jarry. After a lengthy review, officials ruled the puck had completely crossed the goal line.
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NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks
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The question lingering long after the game ended was whether Poehling’s shot actually crossed the line.
“I thought I saw some white [ice] when I was kind of behind the net,” Poehling said. “Then everyone was celebrating … but I thought right away it had crossed the line.”
The call on the ice was that Jarry had stopped the puck and covered it. Connor Murphy pushed the puck from behind the Oilers goalie under him, but after a lengthy video review the call on the ice was a goal.
“When you look at the replay, we all thought it was in,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “It was obviously a huge win for us and a huge goal and the first time we got the lead.”
Anaheim outplayed Edmonton for the third straight game, outshooting Edmonton 38-27 and tilting the ice especially in the extra session. The Oilers did not have a shot on goal in overtime.
Still, Dostal kept the game in reach for Anaheim by shutting down McDavid with two impressive saves, including an excellent toe save on what could have been the go-ahead goal.
“Two great saves,” Quenneville said. “I think that speaks volumes of the competitor that he is.”
The Ducks Power Play is Smoldering
NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks
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Special teams can be the great equalizer this time of the year, and even though the Ducks have outplayed the Oilers throughout the series, Anaheim’s power play continues to be the best in the Stanley Cup Playoffs through four first-round games.
The Ducks struck twice on the man advantage in Game 4, with Granlund and Gauthier scoring power-play goals. Gauthier’s snipe over Jarry’s shoulder at 7:36 got the Ducks on the board and started the initial comeback.
Granlund then finished a brilliant give-and-go and beat Jarry to tie the game.
The Oilers scored twice on the power play, with Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins lighting the lamp. But Edmonton’s man-advantage was the NHL’s best during the regular season, striking on 30.6% of its man-advantage chances.
But Anaheim’s power play has surpassed Edmonton’s through four games. The Ducks are 6 for 12 (50%) with the man up in the series and have scored in every game.
“I think our execution has been excellent,” said defenseman Jackson LaCombe, who had two assists, including the primary helper on Gauthier’s goal. “We’ve just been working more, recovering more pucks and being in better spots for each other and being more available.”
Anaheim’s Fourth Line has Been the X-Factor
NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks
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The trio of Jeffrey Viel, Tim Washe and Ian Moore have wreaked havoc on the Oilers, both physically and on the scoresheet.
After Bouchard put Edmonton ahead 3-2 in the third period, Viel scored his second goal in as many games by burying a loose puck past Jarry with 6:29 left in the game.
Aside from the goal, Quenneville has so trusted his fourth line that he gave them a shift in overtime against the McDavid line. Washe won an offensive-zone faceoff, and he and Ryan each recorded hits on an aggressive forecheck that led to an icing — Poehling scored just 11 seconds later.
“They’ve been huge for us,” LaCombe said of Anaheim’s fourth line. “They’ve been doing a lot of the hard things for us. They’ve been playing fast. They’ve been playing responsible. They’re doing things on both sides of the ice.”
