Ducks defeat Oilers, snap tie for second in Pacific
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Josh Manson and Rickard Rakell scored in the second period as the Anaheim Ducks rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night at the Honda Center.
Patrick Eaves and Hampus Lindholm added goals for the Ducks (39-23-11), who used their sixth win in eight games to move within two points of the first-place San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division.
Lindholm finished with a career-high three points, Ryan Getzlaf contributed three assists, and goalie Jonathan Bernier stopped 29 shots for his sixth victory in seven decisions.
Connor McDavid recorded a goal and two assists while Leon Draisaitl had one of each for the Oilers, whose four-game winning streak ended. Edmonton (39-25-9) fell two points behind Anaheim and remained one point ahead of the Calgary Flames. Mark Letestu added a late power-play goal, and Patrick Maroon had two assists.
McDavid has 59 assists and 85 points -- both league highs -- and Draisaitl owns 11 points in his past five games.
But the Ducks had to survive the final 1:41 playing short-handed. Ryan Kesler received a tripping penalty at 18:19 of the third period, then Manson followed him into the penalty box 24 seconds later after closing his hand on the puck.
With reserve goalie Laurent Brossoit being pulled, the Oilers held a 6-on-3 advantage for the final 1:17. Letestu scored with 6.7 seconds to play but the Oilers generated only two shots on goal in the final 1:41.
Anaheim scored twice in the second period to move ahead 4-2 and chase goalie Cam Talbot, who entered the game with two successive shutouts. Manson gave the Ducks their first lead 1:33 into the second period with his fourth goal, a wrist shot from the top of the slot that deflected off the inside of the left post.
Then nine seconds after Anaheim's Jared Boll and the Maroon went to the penalty box with coincidental minors for unsportsmanlike conduct, Rakell scored his team-leading 32nd goal and his 10th in the past 12 games with both teams playing four-on-four.
Rakell secured the rebound of his own blocked shot, used stickhandling to manipulate defenseman Kris Russell out of position and converted a wrist shot from the slot under the crossbar at 11:23.
After Rakell's goal, Brossoit replaced Talbot, who was pulled mid-game for just the second time this season after making 14 saves.
Anaheim outshot Edmonton 20-6 in the second period after managing just six shots in the opening period.
Draisaitl's 25th goal gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead in the first period 10 seconds after Talbot make a big save. Kesler received Andrew Cogliano's pass while rushing into the slot and fired a backhand that Talbot stopped with his right leg pad before the puck hit the left post.
On Edmonton's ensuing rush, Draisaitl converted a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle 5:58 into the game. McDavid began the scoring sequence by passing from the right circle to Maroon at the left post. With defenseman Kevin Bieksa checking him into the post, Maroon passed to Drasaitl for the first goal.
Eaves' 25th of the season and his fourth with the Ducks tied the score less than two minutes later. After receiving Getzlaf's pass, Eaves scored from the top of the right circle on a wrist shot that deflected off Talbot at 7:46.
A little more than a minute later, McDavid's 26th goal put the Oilers ahead, 2-1. McDavid received Draisaitl's pass from Edmonton's zone at Anaheim's blue line, beat defender Cam Fowler, kept the puck on his stick while dragging it in front of the crease and deposited a backhand inside the right post at 8:49.
But the Ducks tied the score with 30.2 seconds left in the first period, when Lindholm redirected Rakell's pass from the right circle inside the left post for his sixth goal of the season.
NOTES: Edmonton scratched D Matt Benning, LW Matt Hendricks, LW Jujhar Khaira and RW Iiro Pakarinen. ... Oilers RW Jordan Eberle needs two games for 500 in his career. ... Oilers coach Todd McLellan needs five games for 700 in his career. ... The Oilers' power-play conversion rate of 35 percent since Jan. 15 leads the NHL. ... Anaheim scratched G John Gibson, RW Ondrej Kase, D Brandon Montour and RW Logan Shaw. ... Ducks LW Andrew Cogliano moved into fourth place on the NHL's all-time list of consecutive games played with his 777th successive appearance. Cogliano passed Craig Ramsay, who played all 14 of his seasons for the Buffalo Sabres. ... Ducks D Clayton Stoner, who underwent abdominal surgery Dec. 21, has practiced the past two days and could receive a conditioning assignment to San Diego (AHL) soon.