Carlsson, Terry lead Ducks to 5-2
win in Game 6, eliminating the 2-time conference champ Oilers
[May 01, 2026]
By GREG BEACHAM
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry and Chris Kreider
had a goal and two assists apiece, and the Anaheim Ducks eliminated
Connor McDavid and the two-time defending Western Conference
champion Edmonton Oilers with a 5-2 victory in Game 6 of their
first-round playoff series Thursday night.
Cutter Gauthier had a goal and an assist, Ryan Poehling scored the
opening goal and Lukas Dostal made 25 saves in a standout
performance for the upstart Ducks, who stormed to their first
playoff series victory since 2017 in front of a frenzied sellout
crowd.
“It was obviously just an awesome feeling to make the playoffs for
all of us,” Terry said. “We knew that this series was there for us
if we played the right way. Obviously, they made a push, but I'm
just proud of the guys. I thought we played maturely, played hard.”
After ending a seven-year postseason absence by knocking out the
powerhouse Oilers, Anaheim will face the winner of the Vegas Golden
Knights’ series with the Utah Mammoth. Vegas leads 3-2 heading to
Salt Lake City on Friday night.
Connor Murphy and Vasily Podkolzin scored as Edmonton followed up
its worst regular season since 2021 by going out in the first round
for the first time since that season.
“We were an average team all year, you know?” said NHL scoring
champion McDavid, who was held pointless in three of the series' six
games. “An average team with high expectations, you’re going to be
disappointed. ... They played very fast, and we weren’t very fast.
We’ve been searching for consistency all year, and obviously we
didn’t find it here in the playoffs.”
After winning nine playoff series, playing 81 postseason games and
reaching two Stanley Cup Finals in the past four years, McDavid,
Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers finally appeared to run out of energy
and health. They had a disastrous defensive performance against the
Ducks, who scored three goals in the first period of Game 6.
“They know how to play the right way, and at the end of the day, I
think they were just better than us,” Draisaitl said. “We never
really found what you need to find at this time of year, especially
to go all the way. In my opinion, just not good enough.”
[to top of second column] |
Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling, right, celebrates his goal with
center Mason McTavish during the first period of Game 6 in the first
round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series against the
Edmonton Oilers, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP
Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Even with 14 players making their postseason
debuts, the Ducks admirably handled the pressure while winning four
of the last five games against the seasoned Oilers. Carlsson had an
outstanding Game 6 to cap the 21-year-old center’s strong debut
playoff series, while emerging star defenseman Jackson LaCombe
scored nine points and led the Ducks’ defensive efforts against
McDavid and Draisaitl.
“For sure it was our best game of the series,” Ducks coach Joel
Quenneville said. “Could have been our best game of the year. A lot
of things went well tonight.”
In Game 6, Anaheim also got its best effort of the series from
Dostal, who had the NHL’s second-worst save percentage in the
postseason after getting pulled from Game 5. The Czech Olympian was
sharp all night, highlighted by a breakaway stop on Zach Hyman.
Backed by a raucous crowd that included Angels slugger Mike Trout,
the Ducks scored first in Game 6 for the first time in the entire
series when John Carlson’s shot hit Poehling and trickled in for his
fourth goal of the series.
Carlsson then set up Kreider off the rush, ending the longtime
Rangers star’s 17-game goal drought with his first playoff goal for
the Ducks — on his 35th birthday, no less.
Murphy answered for Edmonton 1:31 later, but Gauthier got his fourth
playoff goal on a power play when his one-timer arced in off Darnell
Nurse’s stick.
Late in a tense second period, Carlsson took the puck from Evan
Bouchard and fed Terry for a 4-1 lead.
Edmonton scored early in the third when Kasperi Kapanen’s wide shot
deflected in off Podkolzin’s leg, but McDavid and Draisaitl couldn’t
get it any closer. The Oilers pulled Ingram with 3:57 left, but
Carlsson scored into an empty net.
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