GAME RECAP: Oilers 4, Ducks 1 (Game 5)

EDMONTON, AB – This series is far from finished.

Leon Draisaitl scored twice, Evan Bouchard recorded three helpers, and both Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added two assists for the Edmonton Oilers, who staved off elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday night at Rogers Place with a 4-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 5 of their first-round series.

"I like how we responded," Vasily Podkolzin said. "We're a great team. We have a couple of veterans here who know how to play in the playoffs, especially deep, and I like that we have a lot of Confidence in our room there and nothing done yet.

The Oilers trail 3-2 in the series heading back to Orange County for Game 6 on Thursday.

Vasily Podkolzin scored 2:22 into regulation to kick off a three-goal explosion from the Oilers in a 7:51 span of the first period, scoring their fastest three goals to begin a home playoff game since Game 6 of the 2017 Second Round – also against the Ducks (8:25).

Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl scored off deflections 1:40 apart in the first period to lift Edmonton into a three-goal lead, before the German notched his second goal of the night on the power play with 9:36 left in the second period to make it 4-1 after Alex Killorn got the Ducks on the board two minutes earlier with the man advantage.

Goaltender Connor Ingram stopped 29 of 30 shots, including 23 saves over the final two periods, to earn the victory in his return to the crease for Tuesday's elimination scenario.

The Oilers will need to win Game 6 on Thursday at Honda Center in Anaheim for the right to host a do-or-die Game 7 back at Rogers Place on Saturday.

FIRST PERIOD

Now THAT is how you respond with your back against the wall.

If the Ducks had the option during the opening 20 minutes to end Game 5 and fly home to Anaheim early to prepare for their next chance to win the series on Thursday, I'm sure they would've taken it just past the midway mark.

Because right from the moment the puck dropped, the Oilers had that look about them that this is far from over, proceeding to score three times in 7:51 of the opening half of the first period to lead 3-0 on the Ducks at the intermission and chase goaltender Lukas Dostal from the Anaheim crease with three goals allowed on nine shots.

Vasily Podkolzin delivered the first crowd pop of Game 5 inside Rogers Place with a wicked snipe 2:22 into the opening frame on the Oilers' first shot of the night, coming off the bench to join the rush and taking a pass from Evan Bouchard in the left circle that he buried into the short-side top corner on Dostal for the early Oilers' advantage.

The Russian set the tone for the Oilers once again with his second goal and fifth point of the playoffs, halving his totals from last year's postseason of 10 points (three goals) in 22 games in only five contests so far in 2026.

Podkolzin's opening tally marked Edmonton's fifth straight game scoring first in this series, and second in a row where they've beaten Dostal on the first shot of the game.

"I just like to play hard," Podkolzin said. "I like the playoff style, especially when our season's on the line, so you gotta do something. I think everybody has to step it up, and it starts with me, so I'm trying to do my best to keep us winning games."

The Oilers simplified their approach from the onset by getting more pucks in deep and into the danger areas in front of Dostal, who came under siege immediately and made the mistake of playing the puck right to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to start the play that contributed to a 2-0 lead for Edmonton.

Hyman and Podkolzin cut off the passing lanes for Dostal to force him into throwing it up the boards to Nugent-Hopkins, who was waiting to intercept the attempted breakout before sending a low shot on goal that got the slightest touch from Hyman to redirect it through the Anaheim netminder's five-hole.

With the Ducks on their heels, the Oilers didn't stop by adding to their advantage 1:40 later on another through-the-legs deflection – this time from Leon Draisaitl – to make it 3-0 and spell the end of Dostal's night just past the midway mark of the period.

McDavid and Draisaitl worked the cycle on a first-period shift with Kapanen, with the German deflecting the pass from the slot into the hands of Bouchard before following his line to the front of Anaheim's net to redirect home the defenceman's low shot-pass.

Draisaitl's second goal and team-leading eighth point of the postseason ended up being the last act for Dostal after allowing his third goal on nine shots in the first 10:13 of play – their fastest three goals to start a home playoff game since Game 6 of their 2017 Second Round series with the Ducks (8:25).

At the other end, Connor Ingram only had to face six shots in the period, but needed to stay focused before the intermission to deny Anaheim's best chance off the rush for Cutter Gauthier, kicking aside his dangerous look from the right circle with 1:10 left.

"When a game's that important, it's not that hard to stay in it," Ingram said. "I got little things that I do just to make sure I'm engaged and know what's going on at all times. But it's just experience. Little things that I've picked up along the way, just to keep me in it. Nothing special, and nobody else does it I think."

The Oilers allowed just 11 shot attempts against in the first period, tying their fewest in the opening 20 minutes of a game this season.

Leading 3-0 after 20 minutes, the Oilers needed to keep their foot on the gas heading into the second period, which has been a one-sided frame in this series, with the Ducks holding a 9-6 goal advantage and scoring four power-play goals in Games 1-4.

SECOND PERIOD

Just as much as the Oilers needed a response, so too did their power play after the Ducks managed to get one back in the frame through their potent man advantage that was 6-for-12 (50.0 percent) in the series coming into Game 5 on Tuesday.

The Oilers' power play looked more like itself after Leon Draisaitl followed up Alex Killorn's marker 8:26 into the middle frame on the man advantage by responding in kind just under two minutes later to restore Edmonton's lead to 4-1 with his second of the night.

With Jacob Trouba's tripping penalty against Matt Savoie winding down, the Ducks couldn't clear the puck before Bouchard kept it in and made a good escape along the blueline to reverse it back to McDavid, who located Draisaitl in his favourite spot inside the right circle for the one-timer finish for his second with 9:36 left in the period.

THIRD PERIOD

Orange County, we're coming back to take care of business.

OIL COUNTRY, we hope to see you bring it again on Saturday.

The Ducks had their moments in attempting another lead reversal over the final 40 minutes of Game 5, leading in shots 24-8 over the final two periods, but the Oilers were happy to protect their lead in front of a resilient Connor Ingram, who was pleased to be back between the pipes in Tuesday's elimination scenario.

After it was Tristan Jarry getting the start in Game 4 and making 34 saves, Ingram took advantage of the rest to be fresh and ready to return to the crease before locking in to help keep Edmonton's season alive with 29 saves.

"I thought Jars was great the day before," Ingram said. "Communication was great.  They let me know what was going on, the plan, and things like that, so I had no problem with it. I was frustrated after game three just with myself and what was going on, so to give myself a little break mentally and physically was huge. Jars came in and gave us a great game and gave us a chance, so it was a good idea."

Needing three goals to tie, the Ducks pulled Husso for the extra attacker with over five minutes left, but had any chances of late magic annulled by a too-many-men penalty with 2:42 remaining to allow the Oilers to hold onto the puck for the remaining time to and pull a game back in the series, down 3-2 to the Ducks.

The Oilers will enjoy this for a moment, but the work is far from finished, as they head back to Anaheim for another elimination scenario in Game 6 of the series on Thursday.