3 Takeaways from Oilers’ Game 2 Loss to the Ducks – The Hockey Writers –

The Edmonton Oilers had a great opportunity to take advantage of their home-ice advantage after defeating the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1. Instead, they gave up goals on bunches in what wound up being a 6-4 loss, meaning this series is all tied up at one apiece heading back to Anaheim for Game 3.

The Oilers had two separate leads in this game, but were unable to contain this resilient Ducks team. Instead of heading to Anaheim with a 2-0 series lead, this one is all squared up and now seemingly seems to favour head coach Joel Quenneville and his squad. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from Wednesday night’s tilt.

McDavid Suffers Lower-Body Injury

While Oilers fans won’t like the outcome from Game 2, the much bigger concern will be the status of Connor McDavid. The Oilers captain got tangled up in a collision between Mattias Ekholm and Ian Moore. He appeared to get his leg tangled up and was forced to briefly head down the tunnel.

McDavid was able to return a short time later, but appeared to be favouring his right leg for the rest of the game. This is a major concern moving forward for Oilers fans, as it’s clear the 29-year-old is playing at less than 100 per cent. He also failed to record a single point for the second-straight game. If he isn’t able to get things going, it could be trouble for the Oilers.

Ingram Far From His Best

Though this loss cannot be blamed on Connor Ingram, those who tuned in would be the first to tell you that the Oilers netminder was far from his best in Game 2. By the time the final horn sounded, he’d allowed five goals against on just 27 shots for a disappointing .815 save percentage (SV%).

Ingram by no means was flat-out awful in this game, but he failed to make the big save his team needed. Scoring four goals should be enough to get the win, but he was unable to come up with key saves at key times. On top of that, his rebound control caused significant issues. It didn’t just result in goals against, but more offensive zone time throughout the game for the Ducks. He’s going to need to be much better in Game 3.

Gauthier Put On a Show

While several of the Oilers top stars have been quiet throughout the first two games of this series, the same cannot be said for the Ducks. Their top stars have been noticeable in a good way so far. In Game 1 it was Troy Terry who led the way with three points. While he was held to just one assist in Game 2, it didn’t matter, as Cutter Gauthier took over.

Gauthier, who led the Ducks in scoring this season with 41 goals and 69 points this season, was easily the best player on the ice for either side in this game. The 22-year-old finished the evening with two goals and an assist and will be full of confidence heading into Game 3 on Friday night. He wasn’t the only Duck to have a three-point night either, as Alex Killorn finished this one with a goal and two helpers.

Oilers Lucky To Be Tied

Through the first two games of this series, it’s been more than fair to say that the Ducks have carried the vast majority of play. Outside of the first period in Game 1 in which the Oilers dominated, the Ducks have completely shut them down from an offensive perspective, and are getting production from their top players. The same cannot be said from the Oilers, who will need far more from the likes of McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evan Bouchard, and Zach Hyman if they hope to retake the series lead on Friday night.