{"id":279334,"date":"2026-04-21T23:29:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T23:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/279334\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T23:29:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T23:29:26","slug":"edmonton-oilers-seek-to-hold-serve-at-home-in-playoff-series-against-anaheim-ducks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/279334\/","title":{"rendered":"Edmonton Oilers seek to hold serve at home in playoff series against Anaheim Ducks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether their B game continues to be enough to beat the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the NHL<\/a> playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> weren\u2019t worried.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Oilers shrugged off their mediocre history in playoff series openers with a 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks, but it came with a \u201cthey won, but \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Edmonton won for the first time this season when Connor McDavid didn\u2019t score. The captain\u2019s top line was held off the scoresheet, and the Ducks held the NHL\u2019s top power-play scoreless on two chances. Big-producing defenceman Evan Bouchard had a quiet minus-one game.<\/p>\n

Edmonton squandered a two-goal lead after the first period. The Ducks scored twice in the first five minutes of the second and led 3-2 in the third.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found a way to win a game, which is what matters at this point,\u201d said veteran Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou\u2019ve got to find ways to win games at this time of year. We did that, but for sure some things to keep improving, but some good take-aways too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oilers host the Ducks in Wednesday\u2019s Game 2 at Rogers Place before the series flips to Anaheim\u2019s Honda Centre for the third game Friday and the fourth Sunday.<\/p>\n

Edmonton improved to 5-10 in the first game of its last 15 playoff series dating back to 2021. The Oilers reached the Stanley Cup final each of the last two years. They lost in Game 6 to the Florida Panthers last year and in Game 7 to the Panthers in 2024.<\/p>\n

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The Oilers hold a wide edge in playoff experience over Anaheim, which is back in the post-season after a seven-year absence. After a rough first period Monday, however, the Ducks pushed back with speed and tenacity.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe were very fortunate to get the win. By no means did I think we were the better team,\u201d Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said.<\/p>\n

It was Edmonton foot soldiers Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen providing the heroics with two goals apiece Monday.<\/p>\n

Leon Draisaitl was able to be a difference-maker with two assists \u2014 lugging the puck into the offensive zone on Kapanen\u2019s game-winner \u2014 despite missing the last 14 games of the regular season with a knee injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou always need other guys stepping up,\u201d Knoblauch said. \u201cIt\u2019s not always going to be the same guys. There\u2019s always going to be times when somebody else is the hero.<\/p>\n

\u201cDraisaitl, McDavid, they\u2019re going to be our heroes many times, but they can\u2019t be the heroes every single time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Added Nugent-Hopkins: \u201cWe have so much experience within our depth that guys understand that sometimes it\u2019s their turn to show up and find ways to score big goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edmonton will continue to mine that depth as fourth-line centre Adam Henrique has been ruled out of Game 2 with injury. He collided with teammate Kapanen in front of Edmonton\u2019s net in the first period.<\/p>\n

The 36-year-old penalty-kill specialist skated off the ice without assistance, but didn\u2019t return.<\/p>\n

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Knoblauch didn\u2019t know Tuesday how long Henrique would be sidelined. Replacement options are rookie Josh Samanski or Curtis Lazar, who has 17 previous playoff games on his resum\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\u201cSamanski, a little bit more speed to our lineup,\u201d Knoblauch said. \u201cLazar gives you maybe a little more aggressiveness, a bit more physicality, and that\u2019s important in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou knew that there\u2019s going to be some lineup changes. It came a little bit sooner than we would like with an injury, but we\u2019ve got some guys who are very capable to get back in that lineup and contribute.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to NHL stats, a team that wins the first game of a series at home has a .748 winning percentage historically. It\u2019s .882 for the home team that wins the first two games of a series.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery game is different,\u201d Nugent-Hopkins said. \u201cThey\u2019re down one right now. There\u2019s going to be a push from them, but the same mindset we had to start the game of being physical and putting pucks deep and establishing that forecheck and just making it a long night of having their (defence) turn. Then we always have numbers above them.<\/p>\n

Fans at Rogers Place razzed Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas at various points of Game 1, instead of the traditional target of the opposing goaltender, Lukas Dostal.<\/p>\n

The Czech blueliner served a late-season, five-game suspension for kneeing Toronto star Auston Matthews, three weeks after knocking Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby out of the Olympics with a quarterfinal hit.<\/p>\n

Edmonton scored the third-period equalizer when Gudas fell and gave Mattias Ekholm an open shot on net, which Dickinson converted on the rebound.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s going to be key to try to take the life out of them early and build our game from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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