April 20, 2026 by Ryan Lotsberg

This was billed (no pun intended) as an entertaining series waiting to happen between the Edmonton Oilers and the Anaheim Ducks. Game 1 did not disappoint.

Related: 2026 Series Preview: Oilers vs Ducks

The Oilers got out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen a minute apart late in the first period. The Ducks took the momentum in the second period and went into the second intermission with a 3-2 lead.

Dickinson tied the game on a rebound after Radko Gudas blew a tire and opened up a free shooting lane for Mattias Ekholm. Leon Draisaitl made an insane rush down the ice and somehow got a chance and tracked down the rebound in the corner. Draisaitl cycled it to Vasily Podkolzin behind the net, and he made a great pass to Kapanen for the game winner with 1:54 left in the game. The Oilers survived a last second scramble thanks to a missed net by Mikael Granlund.

Call Outs

This won’t happen often. Connor McDavid started the game well, but his hands deserted him in the second period. He gave the puck away multiple times while trying to gain entry on a powerplay in the second period. That powerplay was a microcosm of his night. The Ducks played him well by presenting him layers of sticks to navigate when he had the puck, but the play died on his stick too often in Game 1. This the first win this entire season where the Oilers didn’t get a point from McDavid, which I suppose is a positive thing. We all understand how important McDavid is to the success of the Oilers, and he’ll rebound from this game.

Darnell Nurse took an undisciplined penatly that led to the go ahead goal for the Ducks. Mason McTavish poked at Connor Ingram’s body after making a save. Nurse rightly went over to address it with McTavish, but one of the many shots he gave to McTavish was a crosscheck to the neck. He went overboard in response to a small faux pas by McTavish. Troy Terry scored the 3-2 goal seconds after the next faceoff.

Standouts

Kapanen was my Oilers MVP for Game 1. He got two goals, including the game winner. His game winning goal was the result of him being the responsbile high forward and cutting to the net at the right time. Kapanen also led the Oilers with seven shots.

Dickinson scored two massive goals in his first NHL playoff game in front of fans. He took a laser of a pass from Jake Walman and made a composed move on the breakaway to open the scoring. The Oilers trade deadline acquisition was in the right place at the right time on the game-tying goal when he went to the net and cashed a rebound off of Ekholm’s shot.

Shout-outs

Jake Walman had a strong game. He made that dart of a pass to Dickinson for the breakaway on the 1-0 goal. He had a few scoring chances from jumping up in the play at the right times; but more importantly for him, he was effective at using his feet to transport the puck out of trouble all night long. Two assists and a +2 rating is a solid effort in my books.

Draisaitl got two assists in his return to the lineup after missing four weeks with a knee injury.

Podkolzin also got two assists. He made a slick move behind the net before delivering the pass to Kapanen for the game winner. Podkolzin also had seven hits, including a couple of doozies.

Speaking of hits, Colton Dach tied Zach Hyman for the team lead with eight hits. It was a simple game from Dach with lots of hits and an empty stat line. That’s fine for a fourth liner in his first NHL playoff game.

Congratulations to Connor Ingram for his first NHL playoff win. He made 25 saves on 28 shots in his fourth NHL playoff start. Ingram’s season started with the Utah Mammoth telling him to not report to their training camp, then getting traded to the Oilers. He was in Bakersfield until getting recalled by the Oilers on December 19. Since then, he has earned the number one job over Tristan Jarry and Calvin Pickard. He deserved the Game 1 start, and it was great to see him get rewarded with a win.

Wrap

I mentioned that this was the first time the Oilers won a game without a point from McDavid this season. It was just the second time the Ducks lost a game when starting the third period with a lead this season. The regular season can give us some clues about teams’ strengths and weaknesses, but it’s truly a new season in the playoffs.

The Ducks showed why I’m not sleeping on them in this series. They stole the momentum from the Oilers in the second period by capitalizing on chances that were earned as a result of aggressive forechecking and Oilers giveaways. Their young stars showed us why they’re as good as they are with the goals they scored and the chances they created with their skill. If not for a blown tire from Gudas, the Oilers might not have won this game.

The good news for the Oilers is that they won this game with their B game. The bad news is that they won’t be so lucky four times in this series. They will need a better effort in Game 2 to keep home ice advantage in this series.