Cutter Gauthier scores late winner as Ducks defeat Oilers to even series By Javier Moreno – Sports Editor April 23, 2026 The Anaheim Ducks have evened their first-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers at 1-1 after a 6-4 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday night at Rogers Place. Forward Cutter Gauthier delivered a breakout performance, scoring his first two career Stanley Cup Playoff goals, including the go-ahead marker late in the third period, to lift the Ducks to a crucial road win. Gauthier opened the scoring for Anaheim on the power play midway through the first period, beating Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram with a long shot through traffic. He then gave the Ducks a 5-4 lead at 15:08 of the third period, pouncing on a rebound and burying it from the bottom of the left face-off circle into an open net for his second goal of the game. Ryan Poehling added an empty-net goal at 18:50 to secure the final. The victory was built on a strong team effort. Alex Killorn contributed a goal and two assists, whereas Poehling recorded his first two playoff goals. Defenseman Jackson LaCombe tallied three assists, and Gauthier too added an assist on the night. In net, Lukas Dostal made 33 stops to earn his first career playoff win, while Ingram turned aside 22 shots for Edmonton. For the Oilers, Leon Draisaitl continued his impactful return from injury, scoring a goal and adding an assist. Connor Murphy and Zach Hyman also found the scoresheet for Edmonton, which had taken a 4-3 win in Game 1 on Monday. The Ducks improved their record in Game 2 of road series when trailing 1-0, winning each of their previous three such matchups. Anaheim will gaze to carry this momentum forward as the best-of-seven series shifts back to Honda Center for Game 3 on Friday.
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