Kapanen's 1:54 Miracle and the Oilers' Playoff Comeback Nobody Saw Coming
The Edmonton Oilers were cruising. Up 2-0 after one period. Controlling the ice. Then the second period happened, and suddenly they were chasing the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series.
But Kasperi Kapanen had other ideas. With 1:54 left in the third, he banged home his second goal of the night off a feed from behind the net by Vasily Podkolzin, and Edmonton survived a total collapse to win 4-3 on Monday at Rogers Place. This is the kind of game that defines a playoff run: fall apart, stay composed, find a way to win anyway.
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The Oilers looked like they were about to walk all over the Ducks. Jason Dickinson scored at 17:21 of the first period, sliding behind rookie defenseman Tyson Hinds after a blue line-to-blue line stretch pass from Jake Walman. Less than a minute later, Dickinson struck again, this time off the rebound when Leon Draisaitl centered a puck to Kapanen. Edmonton outshot Anaheim 14-4 in the opening frame and looked unstoppable.
Then the second period arrived like a truck.
Troy Terry scored 19 seconds in. Leo Carlsson tied it at 2-2 just 4:38 into the middle frame. Terry struck again on the power play at 14:29 to give Anaheim a shocking 3-2 lead. The Ducks, in their first playoff game in eight years, were suddenly the better team on the ice.
Dickinson Ties It, Kapanen Wins It
Edmonton tightened up in the third. Radko Gudas lost his footing while defending a rush, and Dickinson capitalized on the rebound to tie it 3-3 at 11:30. From there, it was all Oilers. Kapanen's go-ahead goal with less than two minutes to play held up as the game-winner.
Connor Ingram made 24 saves for Edmonton. Draisaitl, who missed the final 14 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury but returned for the playoffs, had two assists. Lukas Dostal made 30 saves for Anaheim in a valiant effort.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Edmonton. The Ducks proved they belong in this series. The Oilers proved they can steal one when it matters most.
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