Ducks get their ‘break’ in Game 3

Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle’s favourite pre-game line is “this is the biggest game of the year,” but he strangely didn’t offer it up to the media Sunday morning, when it really was.

“Well, I’d be a liar if I said it wasn’t,” he shrugged, when called on it by a reporter.

After losing the first two games at home, the Ducks couldn’t afford to fall into a 3-0 hole against the Edmonton Oilers. And they went about making sure that wasn’t going to happen, roaring to a threegoal lead after 12 minutes. Although they squandered that lead, their 6-3 win at Rogers Place had them feeling good as they headed to Kelowna, B.C., to prepare for Wednesday’s Game 4.

Rickard Rakell scored on the game’s first shift, 25 seconds in, and that set the tone for the kind of night it was going to be. It was the fastest playoff goal in Ducks’ history.

It was a set play, said Carlyle. “We had another team do it against us, so you learn from that,” said Carlyle, who then watched Jakob Silfverberg and Ryan Getzlaf also score on the first six shots they had on Oilers goalie Cam Talbot.

The last time the Ducks had three first-period goals in a playoff game was on April 15, 2008, against Dallas.

Getzlaf ’s was an absolute screamer on Talbot’s glove side, this from a shooter who doesn’t like to shoot.

“We came out and executed properly and got rewarded. This building is a tough atmosphere. It’s awesome, fun and our guys did a great job,” said Getzlaf.

Talbot certainly didn’t stand on his head like Friday, but his Ducks counterpart John Gibson was phenomenal in the second after Connor McDavid tied the game at 3-3. Chris Wagner scored a softie 48 seconds later to regain the Ducks’ lead.

“We gave up the goal 4-on-4 where we had full possession, which was the last thing we wanted. We knew we were in a real dogfight then. The Wagner goal doesn’t go in every night (off Talbot’s stick), but maybe we deserved a break,” said Ducks centre Andrew Cogliano.

“Phenomenal goal by McDavid. Once he makes a stop-up, nobody’s going to catch him and he blew it over Gibby. Give him that space and he’s going to score.”

Silfverberg scored to make it 5-3 at just under five minutes into the third and the goal survived a coach’s challenge by Todd McLellan, claiming Silfverberg was offside at the blue-line as Shea Theodore took it in. He certainly looked like it on replay, but the NHL said they didn’t have the same frame of the puck and Theodore’s stick together at the blue-line with Silfverberg’s foot 50 feet away.

“I was wondering as soon as the play happened, but I thought I was fine. But I couldn’t even tell on the video,” said Silfverberg.