- Ryan Poehling’s overtime winner trickled in off Tristan Jarry’s skate at 2:29 of OT
- Anaheim has won three straight to take a 3-1 series lead heading back to Edmonton
- Read below for the full reaction from Knoblauch, Ekholm, and McDavid on the review
The Anaheim Ducks now have the back-to-back Western Conference champions one loss away from going home.
Ryan Poehling scored an overtime winner 2:29 into the extra period of Game 4, and the call held up after a lengthy video review that left the Edmonton Oilers fuming. Anaheim’s 4-3 win pushed the series to 3-1, with Game 5 set for Tuesday night at Rogers Place.
The play started with Poehling winning a face-off in the offensive zone. He sent a centering pass that hit Darnell Nurse’s skate and was nudged across the goal line by Tristan Jarry’s own skate. Referees ruled it a goal on the ice, and Toronto’s Situation Room confirmed it.
Here’s the full sequence and the review:
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch wasn’t buying it.
“They huddled, went to center ice, and then made the call that it was a good goal. It wasn’t very definitive,” Knoblauch said, per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. “It was very close. I’ve seen it before where I thought we were going to get away with it. I thought that was what the call was going to be, but they obviously thought otherwise.”
Defenseman Mattias Ekholm was even more blunt.
“You guys saw it on the screen. We saw it on the TVs on the bench. I don’t know how they see it as a conclusive goal.”
Connor McDavid had two assists in the loss and took a more measured tone at the podium.
“We did a good job of putting ourselves in a pretty good spot and we just didn’t find a way to get it done,” McDavid said. “We’re in a hole, no doubt about it. We have to find a way to get a win at home.”
Tristan Jarry was making his first playoff start in nearly four years. Knoblauch went to him after Connor Ingram allowed 14 goals on 93 shots in the first three games of the series. Jarry stopped 34 of 37 and gave Edmonton a chance.
The Oilers got goals from Kasperi Kapanen, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Evan Bouchard. They led 2-0 early and 3-2 in the third before Anaheim clawed back twice. Cutter Gauthier, Mikael Granlund, and Jeffrey Viel scored for the Ducks, while Lukas Dostal made 24 saves and turned away two McDavid breakaways late in regulation. Gauthier’s power-play marker was a continuation of his Game 2 outburst, which you can read about here.
Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville is downplaying the lead.
“We’re up 3-1 and every game has been a toss-up,” Quenneville said, per NHL.com. “Hanging in there and finding different ways, different guys, against an excellent hockey team. We’re in a position now to look ahead and only think of one game.”
Game 5 goes Tuesday night in Edmonton at 10 p.m. ET.
