Bouchard and Levi power Oilers’ comeback win over Ducks

The Edmonton Oilers turned a shaky start into a statement road win, rallying from two goals down to beat the Anaheim Ducks 5–2 on Wednesday at Honda Center. Five unanswered goals in the second period carried Edmonton to its third straight victory and lifted the club to a 3-0-1 record and first place in the Pacific Division.

Stars drive five-goal second-period surge

Defenceman Evan Bouchard led the way with two goals, while Kasperi Kapanen, Vasily Podkolzin and Connor McDavid also scored for Edmonton. Anaheim’s offence came entirely from Becker Sennecke, who struck twice on the power play in the opening frame.

Bouchard jump-started the comeback just 11 seconds into the middle frame, cutting the deficit in half. Kapanen tied the game on a power play at 6:30, and Bouchard then gave the Oilers their first lead at 14:12. Podkolzin pushed the advantage to 4–2 at 16:49 before McDavid capped the outburst with a late-period goal, leaving the Ducks reeling heading into the third.

Edmonton’s top offensive trio of Bouchard, McDavid and Leon Draisaitl was involved in every Oilers tally. At least one of the three recorded a point on each goal, and on four of the five, two of them appeared on the scoresheet. Bouchard and McDavid finished with three points apiece, while Draisaitl matched a franchise mark by notching four assists in a single period.

Penalty kill stabilizes after rough opening

Discipline and special teams were a major storyline. The Oilers were shorthanded seven times, equalling their single-game high from last season. Anaheim converted on its first two power plays in the first period, dropping Edmonton’s early-season penalty-kill rate to 44.4 percent at that point and exposing an area that has lagged behind the team’s offensive firepower.

From there, the penalty kill settled in. Edmonton denied the Ducks on their final five opportunities, including a critical 75-second 5-on-3 in the third period when Anaheim also pulled Ville Husso to create a 6-on-3 advantage. Head coach Mike Babcock praised the turnaround, saying his penalty kill “that started crazy was excellent for us” after the opening 20 minutes.

Even after the improvement, the Oilers’ season-long penalty kill sits at 64.3 percent, 28th in the league, with five power-play goals allowed tying them for the most in the NHL. But Wednesday’s response offered a template for how they can limit the damage while their overall game rounds into form.

Levi strengthens case in Oilers’ crease battle

Goaltender Devon Levi was a key factor in Edmonton’s ability to stay within striking distance. He surrendered two first-period goals but still stopped 14 of 16 shots in that frame and finished with 29 saves on the night. His work prevented the Ducks from building an insurmountable lead and set the stage for the second-period offensive surge.

Levi’s performance continues a notable rebound after a rough Oilers debut against the Vancouver Canucks, where he allowed seven goals on 22 shots. He has now delivered back-to-back strong starts, including a 19-save 3–1 win over the Seattle Kraken. By contrast, fellow netminder Tristan Jarry struggled in his lone appearance, a 6–5 overtime loss to Vancouver.

Earlier in the week, Babcock indicated Levi would start once and Jarry twice on the current three-game road swing, which continues Saturday against the San Jose Sharks before wrapping up Tuesday versus the Los Angeles Kings. With Levi’s recent form, how the Oilers allocate starts between the two goaltenders on this trip now becomes an intriguing subplot, starting with who gets the crease in San Jose at 2 p.m. MDT on Saturday.