Ducks gain confidence, experience entering Game 2 against Oilers

EDMONTON -- The Anaheim Ducks got their feet wet in the first Stanley Cup Playoff game for over half the roster and are ready to dive in against the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference First Round.​

A dominant second period in a 4-3 loss in Game 1 on Monday has the Ducks confident heading into Game 2 here on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, TVAS2, KCOP-13, TBS, Victory+, HBO MAX). 

“I think these kids coming in now are fearless, which is great because you don’t want to the moment to get too big,” Anaheim defenseman John Carlson said. “Like always, you have to be who you are, and you have to play how you play. Obviously (in the playoffs) everything means a little bit more and everything is going to get tightened up a little bit more and (it’s) harder to get into certain areas, scoring areas, and it’s about how you navigate those things. I think overall they did a great job in Game 1, and we’re certainly going to build on that for the next one.” 

The Ducks debutants were a quick study in Game 1. 

After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Anaheim came out and took the play to Edmonton in the second, scoring three goals to take the lead. 

The Oilers needed third-period goals by Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen to pull out the victory.

“I didn’t love our start to the game,” Ducks forward Alex Killorn said. “I think we kind of dipped our toes in a little bit. A lot of guys hadn’t played in the playoffs. What I did like is our resilience after going down two goals to come back. That second period was a great period for us. Then once we got the lead, we sat back a little bit. 

“There’s a bunch of things we can learn from, but overall, it was a pretty good game all things considered.” 

Anaheim had 13 players make their postseason debut Monday, including goalie Lukas Dostal, who made 30 saves. Forward Troy Terry had two goals and an assist in his first playoff game, and Leo Carlsson had a goal and assist in his postseason debut.

Once they settled in, the Ducks did not look out of place against the playoff-seasoned Oilers, who have been to the past two Stanley Cup Finals and the Western Conference Final in three of the past four seasons. 

“I really enjoyed it. During the national anthem I was just looking around,” Dostal said. “I had a chance to play in the Olympics this year and I played at the (2024) World Championship in Prague in my hometown, and the atmosphere was pretty much the same. But I enjoyed it. It was obviously my first playoff game, and it was a lot of fun.” 

Going into the game, Ducks coach Joel Quenneville was not certain how his young team would react on the playoff stage in an intimidating building, but he was pleased with how his young players responded after falling behind. 

Despite the loss, Anaheim feels it has laid a solid foundation to build on for the rest of the series. 

“We wanted to find out about our guys in the playoffs and we showed we’re competitive,” Quenneville said. “I think there are some things we can learn from and we have to get better as the series goes along. We look at individually and collectively that there were some positive things that technically we can be stronger in areas. But the effort was there, the pace was fine and we expect to get better in order to win and be successful, and that’s our challenge.

“For a lot of the guys getting their first exposure (to the playoffs), it was a good sign in their games. I think the upside can go a long way as well.” 

Considering the Ducks had 26 comeback wins this season, tied with the Montreal Canadiens for the most in the NHL, it was not surprising to see them battle back in Game 1. What was uncommon was losing in regulation with a third-period lead. 

“That might have been the first game we (lost) without going into overtime with a lead in the third period,” Quenneville said. “It was a little disappointing on that end of it, because we’ve had some success. The game was on the line the whole time anyway, because when they scored to tie it up, then it was like overtime.”

Having lost 6-5 to Anaheim on Feb. 25 in the first game back from the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics, blowing three leads in the process, Edmonton knew better than to underestimate its opponent heading into the series, despite its inexperience. 

The point was reiterated in Game 1.

“They have skill and speed to make you pay,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “They can make plays and I think just the way they transition … they attack the net really hard, and so we have to make sure we clear pucks out and have numbers back so they’re not getting any odd-man rushes. 

“They have good, young skill that can make you pay if you give them anything easy, so our goal is to not let it be easy for them.”