Oilers bury Ducks with five-goal second period after Beckett Sennecke’s fast start

The game flipped 11 seconds into the second

Anaheim’s 2-0 lead looked sturdy at the first intermission. It lasted all of 11 seconds in the second period. Evan Bouchard opened Edmonton’s push with a slap shot at 0:11, cutting the margin in half and changing the tone of the night immediately.

The equalizer arrived at 6:30 when Kasperi Kapanen finished a snap shot off passes from Connor McDavid and Bouchard. From there, Edmonton’s top end did what top-end players do: it kept pressing the scoreboard. Bouchard struck again with another slap shot at 14:12, this time with Leon Draisaitl and McDavid drawing the assists, and the Oilers had their first lead.

Anaheim never recovered from the late surge that followed. Vasily Podkolzin made it 4-2 at 16:49 off a feed from Draisaitl, and McDavid added the fifth goal at 19:08 with Draisaitl and Mattias Ekholm setting him up. Edmonton scored five times in 19:08 of game time, a complete reversal in a period that decided everything.

Sennecke gave Anaheim the start it wanted, but not the finish

Before the collapse, the Ducks had genuine traction. Beckett Sennecke scored both Anaheim goals in the first period, first on a snap shot at 4:11 from Mikael Granlund and Leo Carlsson, then on a tip-in at 15:28 with Carlsson and Jackson LaCombe earning the assists. For one period, Anaheim had the sharper scoreboard despite generating offence mostly through one finishing touch.

The broader numbers make the result more frustrating for the Ducks. Anaheim outshot Edmonton 30-19 and converted twice on seven power-play chances, yet it did not score at even strength. Carlsson assisted on both goals, Sennecke put seven shots on target, and Cutter Gauthier led Anaheim with six shots, but the attack could not add to the first-period burst once Edmonton settled in.

Devon Levi was a major reason the Oilers could survive that shot deficit. He finished with 28 saves and a .933 save percentage, including nine saves while Edmonton was shorthanded. At the other end, Lukas Dostal stopped 12 of 17 shots before Ville Husso handled the final 15:58 and turned aside both attempts he faced. Anaheim generated more volume, but Edmonton got the better goaltending when the game was still in reach.

Our take | Edmonton’s finishing covered flaws that could cost it on another night

There is no need to overcomplicate this result: Edmonton’s skill players took over one period and ended the game. Bouchard’s two goals from the back end changed the pace of the comeback, Draisaitl piled up four assists, and McDavid added a goal and two assists. When three of the club’s biggest drivers combine for eight points, a deficit can disappear in a hurry.

Still, this was not a spotless Oilers performance. Edmonton took eight penalties for 16 minutes, gave the puck away 15 times and allowed 30 shots. The Ducks also went 2-for-7 on the power play, which means the Oilers spent too much of the night asking Levi to clean up trouble. The faceoff edge, 60 per cent to 40 per cent, and 17 blocked shots helped steady matters, but the cleaner path is obvious: less time in the penalty box, fewer free possessions, and less dependence on a single explosive stretch.

Anaheim’s lesson is different. Any team that scores twice on the power play and puts 30 shots on net will feel it left something behind in a 5-2 loss. The Ducks need more at five-on-five and a steadier second period after a promising first. Losing the faceoff battle 39-26 did not help, and neither did allowing five unanswered goals on a night when the team save percentage finished at .737. Sennecke’s two-goal opener was real progress; the problem was everything that followed once Edmonton answered.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 4:11

   Beckett Sennecke Goal (2) Snap Shot, assists: Mikael Granlund (2), Leo Carlsson (5)

2. 1st · 15:28

   Beckett Sennecke Goal (3) Tip-In, assists: Leo Carlsson (6), Jackson LaCombe (3)

3. 2nd · 0:11

   Evan Bouchard Goal (5) Slap Shot, assists: Leon Draisaitl (3)

4. 2nd · 6:30

   Kasperi Kapanen Goal (2) Snap Shot, assists: Connor McDavid (8), Evan Bouchard (5)

5. 2nd · 14:12

   Evan Bouchard Goal (6) Slap Shot, assists: Leon Draisaitl (4), Connor McDavid (9)

6. 2nd · 16:49

   Vasily Podkolzin Goal (4) Snap Shot, assists: Leon Draisaitl (5)

7. 2nd · 19:08

   Connor McDavid Goal (3) Snap Shot, assists: Leon Draisaitl (6), Mattias Ekholm (1)