Talbot was pulled midway through the second period against the Ducks after giving up four goals on 18 shots.
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The Oilers took a 2-1 lead on Letestu’s second power-play goal of the game and third tally of the playoffs at 6:23 of the third period. John Gibson stopped 24 shots.
They outshot the Edmonton Oilers 76-55 and held captain Connor McDavid (NHL-best 100 points) to just one assist.
The Oilers took Game 1 over the Ducks with Leon Draisaitl the hero, but the match-up war between the two benches was just as good a plot line. Talbot got credit from both teams for the result in Game 2, making all manner of impressive saves while Anaheim dominated the last 30 minutes.
“I can already taste that delicious Anaheim craft beer”, Mayor Iveson said. “We need more emotionally and physically from some players in Game 2”. “Down the stretch, we bent but we didn’t break, and that’s the sign of a good team”.
Game 3 is Sunday in Edmonton (see full recap). “We learned a lot during the last series”, said defenseman Adam Larsson, who scored two goals in Game 1, including the victor with 4:40 remaining in regulation.
James Neal and Ryan Ellis scored to give the Predators a 2-1 lead. But Wagner’s shot that deflected off Talbot’s arm and into the net 48 seconds later gave the Ducks a 4-3 lead heading into the third.
“It was just like the game was being played there”, Bob Nicholson, the chief executive of the Oilers Entertainment Group, said Thursday about the fast ticket sales. Talbot also had two shutouts in Edmonton’s first-round victory over San Jose. I think we’re playing better this series than we did against Calgary. “And like I tell him all the time, goalies are supposed to stop the puck”. Letestu cleaned up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ shot during 55 seconds of 5-on-3 play to tie up the game at 1 in the second, then pounced on Draisaitl’s rebound to put the Oilers ahead 2-1 in the third. For them to win in Game 3, the bulk of the load has to fall on Perry and the rest of the Ducks’ goal scorers. He now has one in two appearances as a visitor.
Jakob Silfverberg, Ducks – Silfverberg came through in a big way for the Ducks with two goals in recording the first multi-goal playoff game of his career. “I was just trying to get a scrum there in front of the net and I was lucky they kicked it in”. Historically, the Oilers are 19-0 when leading a playoff series 2-0. The Blues edged out a win thanks in large part to Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored two of his team’s three goals. During the regular season, Anaheim had one of the best penalty kill units in the league, finishing fourth with a 84.7 percentage. Never saw the ice again after the last of them made the score 6-3 with 9:22 still to play.
Larsson got the victor when he skated behind the net and threw it in front.
They don’t call him “The Next One” for nothing.
“I thought we were on our heels for a lot of the second half of [Game 2]”, he said, adding that he’ll be looking for more intensity from his players.
Larsson skated the length of the ice with the puck and scored the game-winning goal.
It will be tough for the Ducks, though, if Talbot can continue to play like he did on Friday. Ritchie was a last-minute scratch due to flu-like symptoms.
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Although they’re considered a young team because of the great amount of young talent they collected during years of participating in the NHL’s draft lottery, they rely on a good number of veterans.
