After surprising Game 5 comeback win, Ducks head to Edmonton with 3-2 series lead
The midmorning light might have been too bright for Andrew Cogliano’s liking, but the shine was still evident.
It was mere hours after the Ducks pulled off one of the biggest wins in their history, and Cogliano specified how much sleep he got when he stepped in front of reporters and a television camera.
“None,” Cogliano said.
The Ducks’ 4-3 double-overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series was still being digested Saturday, namely by those who turned off the game early.
“[I got] texts this morning,” Cogliano said. “People had no idea. They probably turned it off after the second [period]. You get text messages from people not knowing how we won and how we came back. That’s pretty fair.”
The Ducks woke up with a 3-2 series lead going to Edmonton for Game 6 on Sunday after they became the first team in NHL history to win a playoff game when trailing by three goals with less than four minutes remaining.
With the Ducks trailing 3-0, Ryan Getzlaf, Cam Fowler and Rickard Rakell scored with goalie John Gibson pulled for an extra attacker. Even Gibson said, “I think it’s pretty unbelievable. Usually it’s tough to get one.”
Corey Perry’s double-overtime goal, on a franchise-record 64th shot, ended two nail-biting extra sessions before midnight Friday. It encapsulated longtime chemistry between Perry and Getzlaf, who fed Perry the puck from the corner for the game winner as bedlam ensued in Honda Center.
Ironic, given Perry’s scoring issues this season, but it also lent credence to the growing sense that the Ducks are finding ways to win. Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said Getzlaf’s and Perry’s pedigree are part of that.
“They have been there before,” Carlyle said. “They have been in more pressure situations than this. They have been exposed to this type of atmosphere a lot more than a lot of guys that are in that dressing room — be it Stanley Cups, Stanley Cup Final, World Championships, Olympics, playoffs.
“All of those things that these guys have had success at. So there’s an air of confidence with them that we stay the course and find a way to get it done.”
How both teams respond is the next chapter in a fascinating series. Edmonton’s pain was captured in a viral video of general manager Peter Chiarelli’s head-down reaction to Rakell’s goal, with 15 seconds to go, in the press box.
The Oilers challenged it because of goalie interference but the NHL’s Situation Room determined that “Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse caused Anaheim’s Ryan Kesler to contact [Cam] Talbot before the puck crossed the goal line.”
That wasn’t a sufficient explanation from Edmonton’s standpoint.
“I don’t know what interference is anymore,” Edmonton coach Todd McLellan said after the game. “Obviously, Kesler was pushed in. There was no doubt about that. We have a strong belief that he wrapped his arm around Talbot’s leg. But I don’t know what it [goalie interference] is anymore.”
Chiarelli was repeatedly asked about it Saturday but he also told reporters about his team “getting hemmed in the last three minutes” of regulation and the need for the Oilers to “get back on our horse.”
For the Ducks, this saddle is well worn. They’ve squandered 3-2 series leads in each of the past four seasons and lost Game 7s to the Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, Kings and Detroit Red Wings.
It’s mostly why Carlyle was brought back for a second go-around, and that makes this run different. There is also the reemergence of Getzlaf as an unstoppable force. The adjectives are running out to describe his impact. Perry broke it down.
“He’s our leader and when things are going, he’s leading by example,” Perry said. “One thing I’ve noticed, he’s shooting that puck and he’s finding a way to get those through and they’re finding a way to go in. That’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed. He’s blocking shots. He’s doing all the little things that are working for this hockey team.”
The Ducks will have to support Getzlaf more and avoid a no-show second period as in Game 5.
“That seems to be our nemesis right now,” Carlyle said. “The last couple of games we’ve had 20 minutes that we’re not really proud of.”
Carlyle seeks a strong start in a building in which “any time any one of our players touches their players, fans are going to be calling for a penalty.”
As far as their Game 6 track record, Cogliano said they embrace this opportunity. The glow from Friday still beamed.
“I think we’re just excited to play,” Cogliano said. “I think we’re all having fun. Wins like that bring a team together. This is why you play this type of game and this is why you play in the playoffs, because of moments like that.”
Injury updates
Logan Shaw has a lower-body injury and an assessment was not yet known, Carlyle said. Shaw went to the bench in pain after a scoring chance in the first overtime.
Carlyle said the Ducks’ other injured players, Patrick Eaves, Kevin Bieksa and Ondrej Kase, will all travel.
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