Cutter Gauthier's Late Goal Ties Series as McDavid Avoids the Worst-Case Scenario

The Anaheim Ducks just flipped the script on the Edmonton Oilers, stealing Game 2 with a 6-4 road win Wednesday night to knot up this first-round series at 1-1. But here's what everyone's actually talking about: Connor McDavid took a scary tumble early in the second period and somehow walked away okay.

McDavid's Close Call

McDavid caught an edge with his skate blade after getting tangled up with teammate Mattias Ekholm and the Ducks' Ian Moore. The building held its breath. He briefly left the game, then came back out there, finishing with just over 24 minutes of ice time. When asked about it after, McDavid kept it short and simple: "It's fine. I just rolled up on it a little bit." For Oilers fans, that's the exhale moment of the night. You don't realize how much you're holding your breath until your franchise player skates off under his own power.

Gauthier and the Ducks Take Over

Now, back to the actual game. Cutter Gauthier broke a tie off a rebound with 4:52 left in regulation to put the Ducks up for good. Josh Samanski, making his playoff debut, had just tied it at 4 with 6:09 remaining. Ryan Poehling put the nail in the coffin with an empty-netter with 1:10 to go, his second goal of the night. He'd also scored short-handed in the second.

Gauthier was all over this game. He scored on a first-period power play and set up Alex Killorn's second-period goal on the man advantage. Killorn finished with two assists and wasn't shy about the Ducks' mentality: "That's kind of been the way we've been the entire year. It's stressful playing that way," Killorn said. Gauthier echoed it: "We have the confidence. All season long when games have been tied and we've been down goals, we've been in some high-pressure moments."

Road Warriors Head to Anaheim

Game 3 is Friday night in Anaheim. Edmonton opened this series Monday with a 4-3 victory, so they've got a chance to regain control at home. McDavid knows the situation. "We've been in this situation a lot, 1-1 going on the road," he said. "We're comfortable on the road, we like playing on the road. Obviously, we'd like a better outcome tonight and a better product tonight, but we're comfortable going on the road."

That's playoff hockey in April. One game can flip everything. The Ducks just proved that.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.