Oilers defeat Ducks in Game 1 with four points from Leon Daisaitl

ANAHEIM -- Adam Larsson scored twice in the third period, including the tiebreaking goal with 4:40 remaining, and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at Honda Center on Wednesday.
Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists for the Oilers, Mark Letestu scored twice, and Cam Talbot made 33 saves.
Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is here Friday.

WATCH: [All Oilers vs. Ducks highlights | RELATED: Complete Anaheim vs. Edmonton series coverage]
After skating from the Edmonton end with the puck, Larsson appeared to be going around the Anaheim net but slid the puck in front, where it deflected off the skate of Ducks defenseman Josh Manson and went past goalie John Gibson to give the Oilers a 4-3 lead.
"That was probably the best-case scenario," Larsson said. "I was just trying to get a scrum there in front of the net and I was lucky they kicked it in."
Larsson entered Game 1 with one goal in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The 24-year-old defenseman scored an NHL career-high four goals this season.
The Ducks, who rallied from 3-1 down in the third period on goals by Patrick Eaves and Jakob Silfverberg, were caught out of position when Larsson rushed the puck.

"We didn't have our position in the neutral ice," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "There's no way we should allow Larsson to skate from the top of his circle into our zone unimpeded. We fell back and gave him the room that was necessary."
Ryan Getzlaf scored for the Ducks, who lost in regulation for the first time since March 10, a span of 19 games. The Ducks swept the Calgary Flames in four games in the first round.
Letestu scored his second power-play goal of the game at 6:23 of the third period, and Larsson followed at 8:03 to give the Oilers a 3-1 lead.
Getzlaf (at 37 seconds) and Letestu (at 6:22) each scored a power-play goal in the second period.
Draisaitl scored an empty-net goal with 1:05 remaining for his fourth point of the game. He had eight points (six goals, two assists) in five games against the Ducks during the regular season.

Goal of the game

Draisaitl found Larsson skating alone through the middle of the ice, and Larsson, with plenty of time, picked the corner on Gibson's stick side to give the Oilers a two-goal lead.

Save of the game

Talbot denied the Ducks the lead by catching a hard Hampus Lindholm shot from the top of the circle at 18:36 of the second period.

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Unsung moment of the game

With the Oilers trying to protect a 4-3 lead late in the third period, Ducks left wing Rickard Rakell reached to put home the rebound of a Silfverberg shot that had been saved by Talbot, but at the last second, Rakell's stick was lifted by Oilers defenseman Kris Russell.

Highlight of the game

Larsson skated the length of the ice with the puck and scored the game-winning goal.
"He's definitely not Bobby Orr but tonight he sure looked good on that last one, skating," Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. "He has the ability and skill to do it."

They said it

"We needed to improve our blue line, have an anchor back there. [Larsson] has become that." -- Oilers coach Todd McLellan

"I don't think anything was said in particular. We've dealt with these situations all year long. People are always hard on us because we don't have that experience, we haven't been here, but everyone in this room is so comfortable in these types of situations, we can handle the ups and downs." -- Oilers forward Connor McDavid
"Getzlaf, I thought, had a big game for us. I moved Rakell up with him in the third period … and I didn't think we were getting enough from our group. I tried to stimulate some other people to get involved in the game. I didn't think we had a full contingent of people playing to their highest level, that's for sure." -- Ducks coach Randy Carlyle

Need to know

Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa injured his knee during the first period, colliding with a teammate. He played to the end of the second period but did not play the third. Carlyle said he would have an update Thursday. … The Oilers had no shots on goal from their top line until 4:42 of the third period. McDavid, Pat Maroon and Draisaitl finished with six shots. … The Ducks, the regular season's No. 1-ranked faceoff team, won 38 of 57 draws (57 percent).

What's next

Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round at Honda Center on Friday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVA Sports, SN)