How the Anaheim Ducks made a statement in Game 3 of the opening round of the playoffs

Eight years had passed since the Anaheim Ducks last hosted a home playoff game, and while the outcome of that game did not result in a win and essentially marked the end of an era, last night's contest against the Edmonton Oilers was far more inspiring. This new group of Ducks in the 2026 NHL playoffs, defeated the Oilers by a final score 7-4 in Game 3 of the opening round. Not only did the Ducks take control of the series, but they made a statement to the rest of the hockey world; that they should not be taken lightly anymore.

Down, but never out

The Oilers took an early lead with an ill-advised clearing attempt from Ducks defenseman/forward Ian Moore that led directly to a Vasily Podkolzin goal. But undeterred, the Ducks soon rallied scoring two goals in a span of one minute and 27 seconds, capped by a Mikael Granlund goal on the powerplay.

During a regular season in which the Ducks made a habit of having to make comebacks, Game 3 was no exception. No lead felt safe; if the Ducks rallied, the Oilers would pull ahead. The teams kept trading goal for goal and not until Jackson LaCombe iced the game away with an empty netter, could Ducks fans breathe a sigh of relief.

Surprsing special teams

With the aforementioned goal from Granlund on the powerplay, the Ducks went 1 for 3 with man advantage in Game 3. However, when looking at the playoffs in their entirety, the Ducks rank first with a 50 percent conversion rate (4 goals on 8 opportunities). The penalty kill has been just as impressive, allowing just one powerplay goal from Connor McDavid in Game 3, for an 87.5 success rate. The Ducks were near the bottom tier of the league during the regular season for special teams, yet when the games have mattered the most, the team has found ways to sustain to success, directly leading to having the upper hand in the series.

Dostal has not been great yet

Lukas Dostal has yet to have that signature game and despite the win, he finished with a .833 save percentage, while allowing 4 goals on 24 shots. The Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal in the second period was just a microcosm of Dostal's recent run of play.

If Dostal was ever to have that true vintage performance, which he is more than capable of, the Ducks could secure another victory and truly put the Oilers on the brink of losing the series.

What's next?

The Ducks will host the Oilers again on Sunday night at 6:30 pm local time. If the Ducks could skate away with another win though, they would definitely gain a stranglehold on the series before shifting back to Edmonton for Game 5 on Tuesday. No matter the outcome though, the Ducks have proven that they belong in the postseason and have gone blow for blow with the back-to-back Stanley Cup finalists.

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