Another regular season has come and gone for the Edmonton Oilers. For the fifth consecutive year, they find themselves back in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Not only that, the Oilers are expected go on another deep run after losing to the Florida Panthers in consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. Fans are hoping it’s the third time’s the charm for the Oilers and they can finally get over the hump.
Over the last few years, it’s become something of a tradition for the Oilers to take on the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. However, this year they’ll have to cross the 405 Freeway into Orange County.
In their first-round series, the Oilers will take on the Anaheim Ducks. A team they’ve played in the playoffs previously, but not since 2017. Both franchises have entered a new era since then, and it’s going to be a very interesting series.
We’ll have to wait until after Sunday to discuss this year’s battle. For now, we can travel back in time and explore playoff history between the Ducks and the Oilers.
2006 Western Conference Final
Every Oilers fan who is old enough to remember the magical Stanley Cup Final run in 2006 remembers facing Anaheim in the Western Conference Final. As the eighth seed in the West, the Oilers were written off by many, even at the start of the playoffs. Largely due to the heroic performance of goalie Dwayne Roloson, the Oilers found themselves one step away from the Cup Final.
In Game 1 in Anaheim, it was tied 1–1 after the first. The opening two goals came in the last two minutes of the period on the same Ducks power play. Michael Peca scored a shorthanded goal off a stretch pass from Roloson to open the scoring. While the Ducks were still on the man advantage, Andy McDonald was able to tie things up.
In the second, Ales Hemsky scored to give the Oilers a 2–1 lead. In today’s NHL, the goal would’ve likely been challenged by Anaheim for goalie interference. Luckily for the Oilers, challenging a goal wasn’t allowed for another 10 years, and they went on to win 3–1.
In Game 2, the Oilers once again scored first off a power play goal by Chris Pronger. Ducks fans would get used to that as he was later traded to Anahiem. Pronger helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2007. Jeff Friesen later evened the scoring for the Ducks in the second period. Then, Fernando Pisani scored to give the Oilers the lead going into the third. The Oilers would take both on the road 3–1 and take a 2–0 series lead back to Edmonton.
In Game 3, the Oilers came out flying and took a 4–0 lead with goals from Peca, Pronger, Steve Staios, and Toby Petersen. With three of those goals coming in the third period. However, the Ducks managed to get back in the game, making it 4–3. Then, who else but Fernando Pinsani gave the Oilers an insurance goal, and they went on to win 5–3.
In Game 4, the Ducks were playing desperately and looking to avoid being swept. Having a 3–0 lead in the second period, they cruised to a 5–3 victory to force a Game 5 back in Anahiem.
In Game 5, the Ducks drew first blood on the power play by Frencouis Beauchemin before the Oilers took the lead in the second period. Some crazy stats come out of older NHL eras. For example, in the 2006 series against the Ducks, there was only ONE lead change the entire series, and it didn’t come until Game 5.
2017 Round 2 matchup
Fast forward 11 years, and the Oilers are back in the playoffs for the first time since ’06. Here they meet a familiar foe in the second round. The Ducks are now led by two players who, ironically, were on the ’06 Ducks team. However back then, they were just rookies: Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.
It was Getzlaf who would open the scoring in Game 1. Then Mark Letestu would score twice on the power play to give the Oilers the lead in a very Zach Hyman-esque way with two back-door tap-ins. Adam Larsson scored to increase the Oilers’ lead. The Ducks were able to tie it 3–3 before Larsson added a second goal to win the game. The Oilers took Game 1 5–3.
In Game 2, the Oilers would win again, 2–1, Similar to 2006, the Oilers took a 2–0 series lead back to Rogers Place.
In Game 3, the Ducks scored 25 seconds in, courtesy of Rickard Rakell, and took a 3–0 lead after the first period. However, Connor McDavid would show shades of his prime self, and the Oilers would crawl back to tie it. With McDavid scoring a nasty goal to tie the game 3–3. In the third period, Chris Wagner would score the eventual game-winner for the Ducks, and they’d win 5–3.
In Game 4, it was back and forth the whole game. The Oilers had an early 2–0 lead, but it was quickly erased. In the second period the Ducks struck twice to tie it and eventually took the lead. The Ducks held the lead going into the third—the Oilers equalized and forced overtime. Drake Caggiula scored with 1:42 left in the third to force an extra frame. However, Jakob Silfverberg scored just 45 seconds into OT to even the series for Anahiem.
Game 5, went down in history for the wrong reason if you’re an Oilers fan. Undoubtedly, the most memorable game of the series was Game 5. Because if you were to play this game ten times over, I’d guess that the Oilers win nine of them. The Ducks overcame a 3–0 deficit in the final three minutes of the third period. The tying goal by Rakell brought some controversy that is still likely on the minds of Oiler fans. Ryan Kesler was on his knees in the crease when Rakell tied it with 15 seconds left in the third. Debatably, the goalie interference was reviewed and deemed a good goal. The game went to double overtime. Corey Perry was the hero for the Ducks, giving them a 3–2 series lead.
Game 6 was one you’dn’t want to forget if you’re Anaheim. The Oilers won Game 6 7–1, largely in part due to a Leon Draisaitl hat trick. This forced a Game 7 back in Anaheim.
The Ducks have demons
During that era, the Ducks had a very good team for a long time. They hadn’t missed the playoffs since 2012 and had missed only twice since 2006. The Ducks also had developed a reputation for losing Game 7 at home, including 2013 against Detroit, 2014 against L.A., 2015 against Chicago, and 2016 against Nashville. So, when the series went seven games in 2017, history would tell you the Oilers had a good chance to win.
The Oilers would take the lead off a goal from Caggiula, who capitalized on a Shea Theodore turnover. The Ducks would later seem to have tied it, but the goal was disallowed for offside. However, former Oiler Andrew Cogliano would eventually tie the game for the Ducks, and it’d be 1–1 going into the third. Early in the third period, Nick Ritchie gave the Ducks the lead, and despite the Oilers’ best efforts, it held up as the game-winner. The Ducks exorcised their demons and went on to the Western Conference Final, where they lost to Nashville in six games.
Nine years later, we’re settling a rematch where the Oilers have an opportunity to avenge those of you who still hold a grudge against Ryan Kesler. Not only that, but it’s the first playoff hockey in Anaheim since 2018. Game 1 goes on Sunday, and we’ll have to see if McDavid can avenge his first Game 7 loss against a familiar opponent.
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