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Kapanen's 2nd goal of game with 1:54 remaining lifts Oilers over Ducks 4-3 in playoff opener

Sport

Kapanen's 2nd goal of game with 1:54 remaining lifts Oilers over Ducks 4-3 in playoff opener
Sport

Sport

Kapanen's 2nd goal of game with 1:54 remaining lifts Oilers over Ducks 4-3 in playoff opener

2026-04-21 13:39 Last Updated At:13:40

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Kasperi Kapanen scored his second goal of the game with 1:54 left in the third period to give the Edmonton Oilers a 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in the opener of their first-round playoff series Monday night.

Jason Dickinson also scored twice for the Oilers, who trailed 3-2 entering the third after squandering a 2-0 lead.

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Edmonton Oilers' Jason Dickinson (16) celebrates after a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of Game 1 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Jason Dickinson (16) celebrates after a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of Game 1 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Anaheim Ducks' Beckett Sennecke (45) shoots against Edmonton Oilers' goaltender Connor Ingram (39) during the first period of Game 1 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Anaheim Ducks' Beckett Sennecke (45) shoots against Edmonton Oilers' goaltender Connor Ingram (39) during the first period of Game 1 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Anaheim Ducks' Troy Terry (19) battles against Edmonton Oilers' goaltender Connor Ingram (39) during the third period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Anaheim Ducks' Troy Terry (19) battles against Edmonton Oilers' goaltender Connor Ingram (39) during the third period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Jason Dickinson (16) celebrates a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Jason Dickinson (16) celebrates a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Kasperi Kapanen (42) celebrates the game-winning goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Kasperi Kapanen (42) celebrates the game-winning goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Oilers star Leon Draisaitl returned to the ice after missing the final 14 regular-season games with an injury. Draisaitl and Jake Walman each had two assists for Edmonton, while Connor McDavid was held without a point.

McDavid and the Oilers are seeking their third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final, having lost each of the last two seasons to the Florida Panthers, who missed the postseason this year.

Troy Terry had two goals and an assist and Leo Carlsson also scored for the Ducks, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Connor Ingram made 25 saves, including a doozy in the waning seconds, to earn the win. Lukas Dostal stopped 30 shots for Anaheim.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday in Edmonton.

The Oilers started the scoring with 2:39 remaining in the first period as Walman made a long stretch pass to Dickinson, who undressed Dostal with a great move. Edmonton was 30-5-5 when scoring first this season.

Edmonton scored again exactly a minute later as Kapanen took a feed from Draisaitl and then had two cracks at his own rebound to score his first of the playoffs.

The Oilers outshot the Ducks 14-4 in the first period.

Anaheim only needed 19 seconds into the middle frame to make it 2-1 as Terry scored on a huge rebound off Carlsson's shot.

The Ducks tied it 4:38 into the second period as Carlsson returned the favor by banging in a rebound of Terry's shot.

Anaheim had 26 comeback wins this season, tied for the NHL lead with Montreal. The Ducks won 17 games when trailing by a goal and nine when down by two.

The Ducks took the lead on the power play with 5:31 left in the second as Terry, playing his first career playoff game, sent a shot through traffic for his second goal of the game.

Edmonton tied it at 3 when Radko Gudas slipped and fell as a huge rebound on Mattias Ekholm's shot came to Dickinson for his second goal of the game.

The Oilers went ahead for good when Vasily Podkolzin made a great backhand pass from behind the net to set up Kapanen’s second of the game.

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Edmonton Oilers' Jason Dickinson (16) celebrates after a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of Game 1 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Jason Dickinson (16) celebrates after a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of Game 1 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Anaheim Ducks' Beckett Sennecke (45) shoots against Edmonton Oilers' goaltender Connor Ingram (39) during the first period of Game 1 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Anaheim Ducks' Beckett Sennecke (45) shoots against Edmonton Oilers' goaltender Connor Ingram (39) during the first period of Game 1 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Edmonton, Alberta, Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Anaheim Ducks' Troy Terry (19) battles against Edmonton Oilers' goaltender Connor Ingram (39) during the third period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Anaheim Ducks' Troy Terry (19) battles against Edmonton Oilers' goaltender Connor Ingram (39) during the third period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Jason Dickinson (16) celebrates a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Jason Dickinson (16) celebrates a goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Kasperi Kapanen (42) celebrates the game-winning goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Kasperi Kapanen (42) celebrates the game-winning goal against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Supporters of Bolivia’s influential ex-President Evo Morales clashed with police on Monday in the capital city as they called on the president to resign, joining a nationwide protest movement fueled by the worst economic crisis in a generation.

Thousands of Morales' followers converged on the plaza outside the government headquarters as Bolivia remains paralyzed by road blockades that have strangled cities and triggered food and fuel shortages in the last two weeks.

The unrest presents the biggest challenge yet for President Rodrigo Paz, a business friendly centrist who came to power six months ago as a wave of conservative electoral wins swept the region.

Security forces pushed back protesters who tried to break police ranks with canisters of tear gas before they could reach Congress or the presidential palace. Dynamite blasts rumbled, forcing staffers and lawmakers to evacuate. “Homeland or death, we will win!” demonstrators chanted, ripping shop doors off their hinges and setting fire to looted sofas used as barricades.

The public prosecutor announced 90 arrests.

“They can march if it’s peaceful, but we will take action if they commit crimes,” said Deputy Interior Minister Hernán Paredes.

Paz's shock victory last year highlighted Bolivians' disillusionment with two decades of political domination by Morales’ Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party, as the country reeled from its worst economic crisis in 40 years. But his victory over more right-wing candidates also revealed the nation's unwillingness to support drastic austerity measures.

As Bolivia's first elected conservative leader since 2006, Paz has sought to balance belt-tightening with the need to placate Morales' powerful allies who could disrupt his presidency.

To rein in a massive budget deficit, he eliminated fuel subsidies that represented a pillar of the MAS economic model. But he maintained social welfare programs and offered new benefits to informal workers to blunt the blow of inflation.

That wasn't enough for many Bolivians. The protest movement began with the national labor union demanding wage hikes. Then farmers furious about poor quality fuel joined. Then miners strapped for dynamite piled on pressure. Now loyalists of Morales want Paz gone.

“Small things have been accumulating — the wage issue, the economic crisis, dirty gasoline that people say is ruining their cars, diesel shortages," said Veronica Rocha, a Bolivia political analyst. “There’s a huge portion of the population that feels orphaned politically. They don’t trust anyone anymore, and because of that, anything can happen.”

Paz accuses Morales of orchestrating the unrest to undermine his administration. Road blockades have long been a main weapon of social movements tied to Morales that claim to represent Bolivia’s rural Indigenous majority.

Over the past 16 days, the protest tactic has stranded around 5,000 trucks on highways, leaving supermarket shelves empty and hospitals without some medical supplies. Critics say it's a perverse way to protest economic pain — business chambers report the blockades cause over $50 million in losses a day.

Paz has negotiated with some protest groups, reaching deals in recent days with striking miners and teachers who agreed to end their demonstrations. He deployed thousands of police and military officers across La Paz to try to break the blockades over the weekend.

But the crisis continues, worrying the wider region. Eight allied Latin American governments, from Chile to Costa Rica, released a joint statement rejecting “any action aimed at destabilizing the democratic order.” Neighboring Argentina said it would start a weeklong humanitarian airlift to alleviate shortages in the country.

The United States, now rebuilding relations with Bolivia after years in which Morales defined the country in opposition to Washington, said it supported Paz’s efforts “to restore order for the peace, security and stability of the Bolivian people.” The State Department issued an alert this week urging U.S. citizens traveling to Bolivia to be vigilant.

Morales marshaled the latest march from his hideout in Bolivia's remote tropics. He has been holed up in the highlands for the past year and a half, evading an arrest warrant on charges relating to his sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl. He says the allegations are politically motivated.

Right-wing politicians have seized on the protests to demand authorities arrest Morales, who was held in contempt of court last week after he failed to appear for a trial.

But Morales' enduring influence “is only one piece of the puzzle,” Rocha said. "If the government wants to survive politically, it will have to make drastic changes.”

DeBre reported from Ushuaia, Argentina.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A protester returns a tear gas canister to police during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A protester returns a tear gas canister to police during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A protester returns a tear gas canister to police during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A protester returns a tear gas canister to police during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Military police stand outside the government palace while anti-government protests take place in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Military police stand outside the government palace while anti-government protests take place in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Police stand guard behind a fence during anti-government protests near the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Police stand guard behind a fence during anti-government protests near the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A miner launches a firecracker at police during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

A miner launches a firecracker at police during an anti-government protest in La Paz, Bolivia, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

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