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 Well, there are only two left now after the Ducks were stunned by
a shocking, and costly, 4-3 overtime loss to the Oilers Friday at
Rexall Place.
"We pissed away a point," said Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau, after
Oilers captain Andrew Ference scored with 1:09 left in overtime. "We
had opportunities to win it and put it away and we didn't. When you
let a team back into a game, that happens and you are not going to
get what you want."
The Ducks were playing Edmonton, but their sights are set squarely
on San Jose, as both California teams are in a furious battle for
the top spot in the Pacific Division. Not only does first place
guarantee home-ice advantage for at least the first two rounds of
the playoffs, but it means not having to meet the big, tough and
battle-tested LA Kings in the first round.
The Ducks came in with 101 points, two back of the Sharks, and
needed to close that gap with one of their three games in hand.
That they couldn't get it done — against Edmonton — hurts.
"We let them hang around," said Ducks center Patrick Perreault. "We
couldn't find a way to keep going at them and they get that goal in
overtime.
"We have to play hard for 60 minutes every night. We can't just play
20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. We had them. It was there. Our
effort was there, but we just didn't finish it out."
The Oilers, a 29th-place team on a three-game losing streak, were
desperate for something good to happen for them. On this night, it
finally did.
"It wasn't a complete game by us, but they're a good team and we're
not going to get picky about having some positive feelings in here,"
said Ference.
"We've been on the wrong end of enough games to know that when you
do come out on top, whether it's a perfect game or a greasy one,
you're still just as happy."
The Oilers were badly outshot, 51-23, but goalie Ben Scrivens saved
the day. And, for that they are making no apologies.
"Once we're a consistent team in the league, there are still going
to be nights where we don't play great, but we have to find a way
like we did tonight," said left winger David Perron. "It was fun to
see the emotion we put in. It was so much fun to see that puck go in
in overtime."
The Ducks got right to work, scoring on their first shot of the game
35 seconds after the opening faceoff. They pressed hard for the rest
of the period, too, but center Nick Bonino's goal was all they could
get. The Oilers tied it five minutes later on center Sam Gagner's
third goal in nine games. Despite being outshot 12-5, Edmonton made
it to the first intermission with a 1-1 tie.
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"They scored right off the bat and a few months ago that would have
unraveled into a disaster," said Ference. "But we were able to hang
around and do enough things to get something out of it against a
really good team."
Anaheim dominated the second period, too. They out-shot Edmonton
17-6 and had a handful of point-blank chances, but it was still 2-2
after 40 minutes on a goal from Anaheim center Patrick Maroon and a
reply from Edmonton right winger Jordan Eberle.
Oscar Klefbom's first-ever NHL goal gave the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2
lead with 11 minutes to play. The Ducks needed the tying goal from
center Mathieu Perreault with 4:30 left in regulation just to get to
overtime.
"Oh my God, it's just a blackout right now, it will take some time
to sink in," said Klefbom. "An amazing feeling, especially when we
win a game like this. It was a test for sure. The Ducks are a big
strong team, very good.
"It was a big win for us, a big test, a huge night."
NOTES: Oilers RW Nail Yakupov, who's missed six games and counting
with an ankle injury, practiced with the team for the first time
Friday. He's still a few days away from returning. ... The Ducks'
last loss in Edmonton was in November 2007. ... Anaheim ironman and
former Oilers C Andrew Cogliano played his 531st consecutive NHL
game. He has yet to miss a single game in seven years. ... Ducks D
Marc Fistric is still being bothered by a nerve issue in his leg. He
missed his fifth game in a row on Friday. ... D Anton Belov returned
to the Edmonton blue line after missing 12 games with a torn oblique
muscle. He took Mark Fraser's place in the lineup. ... After scoring
once in his previous 14 games, Ducks C Nick Bonino has now scored in
two straight games. ... C Sam Gagner's first-period goal was the
100th of his NHL career.
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reserved.]
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