|
 Defenseman Hampus Lindholm tipped in a picture-perfect pass from
right winger Rickard Rakell at 5:35 of the third period to snap a
tie and propel the red-hot Anaheim Ducks a 5-3 victory over the
Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. It punctuated a strange night filled
with delays, including two lengthy stoppages to sync the clock.
"I think in the end we're just happy to be leaving with two points,"
said Anaheim left winger David Perron of a game that took almost
three hours to play. "It was kind of a weird game. We couldn't get
into a rhythm and it's a little frustrating on the bench with all
those delays. That's why we're happy, we'll take the two points,
move on and in the end, those are huge points for us.
Anaheim is 10-1-1 in its last 12 games and moved to within three
points of the Los Angeles Kings for the Pacific Division lead.
Rakell and Lindholm were the only two Ducks in the offensive zone
with four Oilers on them. Lindholm skated his way through the
traffic and reached past Edmonton center Connor McDavid to tip the
puck past goaltender Cam Talbot and give Anaheim a 3-2 lead.
"I was able to get the puck over to (Rakell) there and he had a lot
of speed too, so we kept going," said Lindholm. "I went to the net
and put down my stick and he found it, so it was a good play by him
finding me."
The Oilers received a power play late in the third after Ducks
defenseman Kevin Bieksa took a high-sticking penalty. Talbot was
pulled to give the Oilers a two-man advantage, but center Andrew
Cogliano swept a puck into an empty goal to give the Ducks a 4-2
lead with 1:41 left.
The ex-Oiler ended up being credited with the winning goal because
Edmonton left winger Benoit Pouliot banked a puck off Ducks
defenseman Cam Fowler's head and into the net 24 seconds later to
make it 4-3.
Anaheim right winger Corey Perry made it 5-3 with another empty
netter with 13 seconds to play.
With 51.7 seconds left in the first period, the goal light went on
after Perron crashed the crease and dislodged a puck that Talbot
tried to control. A review of the goal was initiated by NHL
headquarters in Toronto -- not by an Oilers coach's challenge.
After the goal was allowed to stand, Oilers coach Todd McLellan used
that coach's challenge, claiming that Perron, whose skate looked to
make contact with Talbot's glove, had interfered with the netminder.
After the second review, the goal was allowed to stand. For Perron,
a former Oiler, it was his 10th of the season.
After the game, Oilers coach Todd McLellan was still wondering why
the goal wasn't scrubbed.
"I also completely disagree with the call on (their first) goal.
Apparently the puck wasn't covered up. There was a referee in the
corner who explained to me that the puck was still rattling around
in (Talbot's) arm and that we pushed their player in so it's a goal.
Obviously, I disagree."
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The Oilers tied it up on the power play at 2:16 of the second. A
weak shot from center Leon Draisaitl squeaked through the pads of
Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen.
Ducks right winger Jakob Silfverberg restored the lead at 14:54 with
a wicked wrist shot into the top corner.
With just a little over three minutes remaining in the second,
Oilers left winger Taylor Hall broke a five-game pointless streak
when he jammed in a loose puck in the crease.
Hall felt his team dealt with the delays well, and deserved better.
"It's not ideal, especially if you're a guy that doesn't kill
penalties or that type of thing," Hall said of the stoppages. "It's
hard to keep your focus, but, for us, that's hockey. That's going to
happen sometimes and you have to be ready when the puck drops and I
think we did a good job of just staying in the moment, keeping the
game close. They had two empty-net goals, they beat us by two, so
figure it out."
Oilers defenseman Eric Gryba didn't play a shift after the first
period. After the game, he was seen leaving the arena with a brace
on his knee.
NOTES: The flu bug has made its way through the Oilers dressing room
as RW Zack Kassian was unavailable. C Anton Lander, who has been a
healthy scratch in each of the seven previous games and has no goals
in 48 games, was in the lineup. ... Edmonton also scratched D Adam
Clendening. ... D Oscar Klefbom (lower body), C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
(hand) D Andrew Ference (season-ending hip surgery) are on the
Oilers injured reserve list. ... Ducks G John Gibson (upper body)
was last in uniform Feb. 13. Anton Khudobin served as Frederik
Andersen's back-up, but Gibson did take part in the Ducks' pre-game
skate. ... Oilers All-Star LW Taylor Hall, who has 50 points this
season, has been held pointless in the five games leading up the
match-up with Anaheim. ... The Ducks scratched D Korbinian Holzer
and LW Harry Zolnierczyk. ... On injured reserve for the Ducks are D
Clayton Stoner (hip flexor) and RW Chris Stewart (jaw).
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