Oilers blitz past Ducks with 5-goal second period

ANAHEIM, Calif. – For 20 minutes, this game looked almost exactly as it did five months ago, when the Anaheim Ducks rode its electric power play to eliminate the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Over the ensuing 20 minutes, the this game flipped on its head, and the Oilers exacted several ounces of playoff revenge.

Edmonton surged past Anaheim with a five-goal second period, including two from league-leader Evan Bouchard, and got sticks on everything in the third period in a 5-2 turnaround win on Wednesday at Honda Center.

Beckett Sennecke scored two first period power play goals with two assists from Leo Carlsson. Nikita Klepov, selected No. 15 overall in this year's NHL Draft, made his NHL debut as the youngest player in Ducks history (18 years, 102 days) and 

Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard rocketed two goals from the point for his league-leading fifth and sixth goals of the season. Leon Draisaitl registered four assists in the second period, and Connor McDavid potted a goal with two assists.

Lukás Dostál stopped six shots in the first period, but he was pulled after the Oilers’ second-period burst with a total of 12 saves on 17 shots. Ville Husso took the net in the third period.

Devon Levi stopped 19 of 21 shots for the Oilers.

Anaheim next heads out on a quick back-to-back, two-game Canadian road trip opening in Winnipeg on Friday and closing in Calgary on Saturday. Ducks are back at Honda Center on Tuesday against the Flames at 6:45 p.m.

Anaheim’s power play kept up its red hot start to the season, and its top guns continued to fire.

Four minutes in, the Ducks went around the horn with the extra man before Carlsson curled out of the middle and sent it low to Mikael Granlund, who shook a defender in the corner. Granlund then fed Sennecke in front, who took two whacks for the opening goal, 1-0.

With five minutes left in the opening frame, it was Sennecke again the beneficiary of excellent puck movement out of pressure high in the zone. Granlund leaked the puck to Cutter Gauthier, who spun it up top to LaCombe. The Ducks defenseman hit Carlsson coasting through the left circle, and Carlsson tapped to Sennecke in front to double the lead, 2-0.

Anaheim looked faster, stronger and in more control than at any point this season… and then the second period rolled around.

Bouchard’s point shot took a light deflection through bodies to completely surprise Dostál 11 seconds into the middle frame, and six minutes later, McDavid completely froze the middle of the Ducks penalty kill to flip the puck left to Kasperi Kapanen to tie the game, 2-2.

Edmonton continued to pick apart Ducks mistakes to surge ahead.

Travis Mitchell intercepted a puck but could not clear, and Bouchard eventually blasted his second by a straight-legged Ducks defense for the lead, 3-2. Two minutes later, a missed connection at center ice spread out the Ducks, and Leon Draisaitl launched a three-zone pass up to Vasily Podkolzin, who snuck behind LaCombe for the breakaway, 4-2.

In the final minute, McDavid picked up speed at four-on-four and ripped a wrist shot that leaked between Dostál’s left arm to cap a five-goal second period for Edmonton, 5-2.

Husso took the crease for the third period, but the Ducks could not generate much jump until late. Anaheim pulled Husso for the extra attacker on a five-on-three power play in the final three minutes, but the Ducks did not get another over the line.