Surviving long shift in second period turning point for Ducks

EDMONTON --The Anaheim Ducks were able to survive excruciatingly long shifts for five of their players in the second period of their 6-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their Western Conference Second Round series at Rogers Place on Sunday.
With Anaheim leading 4-3, center Ryan Kesler came on at 14:45 and got stuck on the ice for nearly three minutes. He was followed by defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Montour, who came on at 15:06, and forwards Rickard Rakell and Patrick Eaves, who hopped over the boards at 15:40.

None of them got a break until the Ducks touched the puck on a delayed hooking penalty to Eaves at 17:27.

Kesler was on the ice for 2:42, Lindholm and Montour for 2:21, and Rakell and Eaves for 1:47.
"It's not the average shift I recommend guys to have, but we kept them to the outside," Lindholm said. "We got a penalty, but overall we didn't really give them any really dangerous shots. But we have to be a little sharper there, myself included, get the puck out and get the guys some rest. We weathered it and we killed the penalty and that's all that matters."
With the long change in the second period, Anaheim was unable to get fresh players on the ice as Edmonton cycled the puck, maintaining possession in the Ducks zone for 1:46, from 15:41 until the whistle for Eaves penalty.
"You can't change, in the second period you can't change in that situation," Lindholm said. "It's just a matter of being on the inside. They can skate as fast or as much as they want if they're outside. If you let them get inside you, that's when you get in trouble."
The Ducks were able to keep compact during the 1:46 of consecutive zone time for the Oilers. Montour and Eaves each blocked a shot, and goalie John Gibson made two saves on Andrej Sekera.
\[RELATED: Complete Ducks vs. Oilers series coverage\]
"There was a similar shift, if you watched the Nashville [Predators] game this afternoon [against the] St. Louis [Blues], a minute and 45 seconds in that St. Louis zone," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "That's what it felt like to us. It was very similar. We just didn't give up the goal. We had two guys make some big blocks, blocked shots. That's the type of hockey and that's what you're going to have to have from your group going forward, that they're prepared to sacrifice in those situations to prevent goals."
The Ducks killed the penalty to Eaves, then scored two goals in the third period to win their first game in the best-of-7 series, which the Oilers lead 2-1 with Game 4 here Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports).
"We had to block shots and keep the puck out of the net," Gibson said. "We took a penalty, but it was a big kill at the end of the period."