Edmonton Oilers forward Kasperi Kapanen scored two goals and Leon Draisaitl returned from injury as Edmonton defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 in a Western Conference matchup on Tuesday night.
The victory improved Edmonton’s record to 38-25-10 and kept them in playoff contention in the tightly contested Pacific Division. Anaheim fell to 29-33-11 with the loss.
Kapanen opened the scoring at 8:12 of the first period, redirecting a point shot from Evan Bouchard past Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal. He added his second goal midway through the third period, finishing a breakaway pass from Connor McDonald to make it 3-1 Oilers.
Draisaitl, who had missed the previous three games with an upper-body injury, made his return in the second period and recorded an assist on Bouchard’s power-play goal at 14:03 of the frame. The assist marked his first point since returning to the lineup.
Anaheim got goals from Ross Johnston and Trevor Zegras, but Edmonton’s late push sealed the win. Zegras’ goal with 4:18 remaining made it 4-2, but Edmonton held on for the victory.
Edmonton outshot Anaheim 34-26, with Stuart Skinner making 24 saves in net for the Oilers. Dostal stopped 30 shots for Anaheim.
The Oilers’ power play went 1-for-3, while the Ducks were 0-for-2 with the advantage.
With the win, Edmonton remains within striking distance of a playoff berth, sitting three points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final Pacific Division spot with four games remaining in the regular season.
Edmonton returns to action Thursday when they host the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place.
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