Ducks Blast Oilers 7-4 to Take 2-1 Series Lead as McDavid Finds His Shot

The Edmonton Oilers came to Anaheim hoping to get Connor McDavid going and steal home-ice advantage from the Anaheim Ducks. They got the first half of that wish but not the second, falling 7-4 in Game 3 of the Western Conference first-round series at Honda Center on Friday night. The Ducks now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 coming up on Sunday.

McDavid finally broke onto the scoresheet with a power-play goal early in the third period and added an assist, ending a two-game scoring drought that had become the dominant storyline of the series. But the celebration was short-lived. Anaheim answered with four goals in the third period to pull away from the visitors and put the Oilers in unfamiliar territory.

How the game unfolded

The first two periods were tightly contested, with the Oilers playing the kind of structured, low-event hockey their veterans have been preaching since the regular season ended. Edmonton kept McDavid's line away from defensive matchups it could not handle and turned a couple of early Anaheim chances aside.

The third period changed everything. Beckett Sennecke and Leo Carlsson scored 42 seconds apart early in the frame to give the Ducks a cushion, and the home crowd, watching its first home playoff game in eight years, erupted. The two quick goals knocked the Oilers off their game plan and forced them into a more open, chase-the-puck style that did not suit them.

McDavid scored Edmonton's first power-play goal of the series at 8:36 of the third, ripping a wrist shot from low in the right circle that deflected off the stick blade of Ducks defenceman Pavel Mintyukov and past Anaheim goaltender Lukas Dostal to cut the deficit to 5-4. The goal was both relief and warning: the captain had broken through, but Anaheim still had two more goals left in it.

The Anaheim story

Mikael Granlund had a goal and three assists for the Ducks in the most complete offensive performance of his playoff career. Carlsson and Jackson LaCombe each finished with a goal and an assist. Dostal made 20 saves to pick up the win and remains a key reason Anaheim is challenging Edmonton at all.

The Ducks have leaned on a deep forward group and a hungry blueline through the first three games. Sennecke, the rookie who scored the third-period opener, has emerged as one of the breakout stories of the early playoffs. Carlsson, the second-overall pick from a few years ago, has played the kind of minutes that Anaheim's front office has been waiting for.

Anaheim head coach Greg Cronin praised the response after the team's deflating Game 1 loss, telling reporters that the lineup had bought into the kind of playoff hockey that the Ducks have been building toward for several seasons. The home crowd, which has not had much to cheer about in recent years, has clearly given the team a lift.

The McDavid question

The Oilers captain came into the playoffs with 138 points and 48 goals, his sixth Art Ross Trophy and the unfortunate target of every defensive scheme in the league. He was held off the scoresheet in the first two games of the series and visibly frustrated through Game 2, going minus-2 in a 6-4 loss in Edmonton.

The Game 3 goal will lift some of the weight, but Edmonton needs more than a single power-play marker. Across the regular season, the Oilers had the league's most lethal man advantage at 30.6 per cent, and they have not come close to that in the playoffs. Getting that group fully clicking is now the most pressing tactical question facing head coach Kris Knoblauch.

McDavid himself has downplayed any injury concerns after his lower right leg appeared to buckle in Game 2 when he collided with teammate Mattias Ekholm. He returned to the ice in that game and has insisted he is fine. The injury narrative will get more attention if Edmonton continues to struggle, but for now both player and team are publicly committed to the original game plan.

The other Canadian teams

The Oilers' situation is not the only Canadian playoff storyline. The Montreal Canadiens evened their series with the Tampa Bay Lightning at 2-1 with a 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 on Friday, with rookie Lane Hutson scoring just over two minutes into the extra frame. The Canadiens' improbable run continues to be one of the most compelling stories of the early playoffs.

The Ottawa Senators, by contrast, are facing the very real possibility of a sweep. The Carolina Hurricanes have taken a 3-0 series lead with a string of one-goal wins, including a double-overtime victory in Game 3. Senators head coach Travis Green has emphasised that the team's effort has not been the issue, but Carolina has simply been more efficient at converting chances.

The three Canadian teams in the bracket present a snapshot of where the country's hockey ambitions stand: Edmonton with the league's biggest star but trailing in a winnable series, Montreal exceeding expectations on the back of its young core, and Ottawa fighting to stay alive after rebuilding for the past several seasons.

What it means for the series

The Oilers now face a Game 4 in Anaheim on Sunday with little margin for error. Falling behind 3-1 to the Ducks would be the first time in years that Edmonton has been in that position, and would put intense pressure on the team's leadership group. A win, by contrast, would even the series and bring the action back to Rogers Place tied at two.

Tactically, the Oilers will need to find a way to limit Anaheim's third-period legs, which have been a feature in all three games. Generating more sustained offensive zone time for the McDavid line, and getting the second-line scoring depth involved, will be critical. The defensive pairings are also under scrutiny after several breakdowns at Honda Center.

For the Ducks, the focus will be on closing out games and not letting the Oilers' star power dictate the third period. With McDavid's first goal of the series now scored, Anaheim's coaching staff will adjust matchups accordingly and may try to get more even-strength looks against Edmonton's third pair.

What it means for Canadians

The Stanley Cup playoffs remain a defining national sporting event in Canada, and the Oilers' fortunes will be followed nightly across the country regardless of where the puck drops. Edmonton's two consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2024 and 2025 raised expectations that this season could be the one to deliver the country's first Cup since 1993, and the early stumble has dampened the mood across the Prairies.

The Canadiens' run is doing the opposite for fans in Quebec, where a young, structured roster is exceeding expectations and giving the Bell Centre something to cheer about for the first time in years. Hutson, in particular, is emerging as the kind of franchise piece around whom the team can build deeper runs in the coming seasons.

For Senators fans, the immediate playoff disappointment is real, but the broader picture is more encouraging than it has been in many years. Reaching the postseason at all was a milestone, and the team's core is young enough to take lessons from this series into next year.

What's next

Game 4 between the Ducks and Oilers is set for Sunday at Honda Center, with the puck dropping in the late afternoon Pacific time. The Canadiens host the Lightning in Game 4 at the Bell Centre, with both Toronto and Quebec broadcasters carrying the action. The Senators face Game 4 in Carolina with their season on the line.

Across all three series, the question is whether the Canadian teams can adjust quickly enough to swing momentum back. Edmonton has the most star power, Montreal has the most momentum and Ottawa has the toughest hill to climb. By Monday morning, the playoff picture will look very different than it did at the end of last week.