EDMONTON — Sam Gagner scored the game winner as the Edmonton Oilers held on for a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, despite having captain Connor McDavid on the shelf serving a suspension.
Josh Currie also scored for the Oilers (26-29-6), who won their second game in a row.
Carter Rowney responded for the Ducks (24-29-9), who have lost two straight.
Despite a sluggish start, the Oilers were first on the scoreboard with four minutes to play in the first period when a rebound squirted past Ducks goalie Kevin Boyle to Currie, who scored his first career NHL goal in his third ever game.
Edmonton made it 2-0 on a delayed penalty 57 seconds into the second period when Gagner redirected a Leon Draisaitl feed into the net for his second goal in four games since returning to his original NHL team in a trade with Vancouver.
Anaheim Ducks’ Corey Perry is stopped by Edmonton Oilers’ Mikko Koskinen (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson)
The Ducks pulled back within a goal 12 minutes into the middle frame when Rowney was able to send a shot off of the pad of Edmonton goalie Mikko Koskinen and into the net.
Anaheim looked to have tied the game with the extra attacker and 45 seconds left in the third on a goal by Corey Perry, but it was called off to incidental contact with the goalie by Adam Henrique.
Koskinen made 13 saves in the third period and 33 overall. Boyle finished with 21 stops.
Both teams are back in action on Monday as the Ducks head to Vancouver to face the Canucks and the Oilers begin a five-game road trip in Nashville.
Notes: It was the third of four meetings between the two teams this season, with each team taking one of the previous games… McDavid was serving the first of a two-game suspension for a hit to the head of New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy on Thursday… With veteran Ryan Getzlaf out of the lineup with an upper-body injury, rookie Sam Steel came into the lineup at forward for the Ducks… Boyle was making just his third NHL start in the Anaheim net… Ducks defenceman Cam Fowler played in his 600th NHL game.
Shane Jones, The Canadian Press
