Edmonton Oilers versus Anaheim Ducks Game 4: Key takeaways from a narrow victory

The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Edmonton Oilers by a final score of 4-3, in Game 4 of the opening round. In a series in which no lead has been safe, the Ducks scraped by the thinnest of margins on an overtime goal and have pushed the Oilers to the brink of elimination.

Slow start, again

For having all the momentum heading into Game 4 with a series lead, the Ducks could not have come out of the gate any flatter. Before fans even had a chance to sit down, Kasperi Kapanen got the Oilers on the board first, 38 seconds into the game. The Oilers have scored first in every game of the series so far and Kapanen has morphed into a problem for the Ducks, as he has been picking up the slack for his struggling teammates.

The slow start grief continued, as the Oilers scored on the powerplay six minutes later, to extend their lead by two. The Ducks had multiple opportunities to clear the puck, especially the veteran Alex Killorn, but the failed attempts directly lead to extended offensive zone time for the Oilers and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins buried the puck in close on Dostal.

Powerplay still cooking

If there's one aspect of their game the Ducks should be proud of though: it's been the powerplay and Game 4 was no different. Cutter Gauthier got the Ducks cooking with a quick wrist shot from the right faceoff circle, that beat Tristan Jarry upstairs.

Not to be outdone, Mikael Granlund tied the game with a powerplay goal of his own, after a nice give-and-go sequence with Leo Carlsson.

The Ducks went 2 for 4 on the powerplay in Game 4 and are now at 6 for 12 in the series. A far cry from their regular season performance, as the Ducks rank among the league's best in the 2026 postseason.

Penalty kill not killer

The Ducks were clicking at an 87.5 success rate on the penalty kill heading into Game 4. But the Ducks lost their edge in that regard, allowing not just the aforementioned Nugent-Hopkins powerplay goal, but the go-ahead goal as well. After Mason McTavish took a signature bone-headed hooking penalty in the offensive zone, Evan Bouchard made him and the Ducks pay.

Allowing a team to go 2 for 2 on the powerplay is not a recipe for success, esepciallly a team with so much high-end talent like the Oilers.

Dostal looked like a wall

Dostal has not been great for a while, and entered Game 4 with an .875 save percentage, which was 16th worst out of 19 other starters. However, Dostal kept the Ducks in the game late with a couple key stops on Connor McDavid.

Dostal finished the game with a modest .889 save percentage but bailed the Ducks out when it mattered the most.

Overtime heroics

Ryan Poehling, third line center and now playoff hero. He slid a puck underneath Jarry in the overtime session and celebrated like he won the game. After a lengthy review, the situation room confirmed the puck had completely crossed the goal line, leading to pandemonium at Honda Center.

Final thoughts

What a ride this series has been so far and Game 4 did not disappoint. The Ducks have gone from being the underdogs, to now having control and pushing the back-to-back Stanley Cup finalists to the edge. While still flawed and absentminded at times, the Ducks have been less flawed than their competition. Game 5 is on Tuesday night with the Ducks having a chance to keep the good vibes rolling.

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