EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers got a boost Monday night in the opener of their first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks when Leon Draisaitl returned to the lineup.
Draisaitl assisted on both of Kasperi Kapanen's goals in a 4-3 victory, including the winner with 1:54 left in the third period.
The 30-year-old German star missed the final 14 games of the regular season with a knee injury. He was activated from the long-term injured list before Monday’s game.
“I felt OK,” Draisaitl said. “It’s certainly going to take a couple of games to really be myself and really trust myself again. But for a start, I thought it was OK.”
Draisaitl skated with the team over the past week.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch predicted the forward would return some time during the first round, but had been coy about when.
“Now that it’s playoffs, it’s a little more sacred about what our lineups are going to be,” Knoblauch said Monday morning. “We’re not going to announce who’s playing and what our lines are going to be exactly.”
Draisaitl has 143 points in 97 career playoff games. He became the 12th player born outside North America to compile 90 playoff assists — his second of the game was his 91st — and Draisaitl was the fastest in that group to reach the mark. Jari Kurri did it in 117 games.
“When you get someone like Leon Draisaitl back in the lineup and you get to play with him, good things usually happen,” Kapanen said.
Edmonton went 8-4-2 without Draisaitl to close the season and finished second in the Pacific Division, earning home-ice advantage for the series against Anaheim.
Draisaitl had 35 goals and 62 assists in 65 games this season, just missing a fifth straight 100-point campaign.
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Anaheim Ducks' Leo Carlsson (91) pursues Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl (29) during the second period of an NHL playoff game in Edmonton on Monday, April 20, 2026. (Codie McLachlan/The Canadian Press via AP)
Anaheim Ducks' Cutter Gauthier (61) battles against Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl (29) 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)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dan Vladar stopped 27 shots, rookie Porter Martone scored for the second straight game and the Philadelphia Flyers shut out Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round series.
The 19-year-old Martone became the sixth-youngest player in NHL history to score in each of his first two playoff games when he beat Stuart Skinner deep into the second period to put Philadelphia in front. Garnet Hathaway added a short-handed goal a few minutes later, and Luke Glendening chipped in an empty-netter late in the third.
Vladar made it stand up as the red-hot Flyers, who needed a scorching finishing stretch just to reach the playoffs, frustrated the suddenly offensively challenged Penguins all night.
Game 3 is Wednesday night in Philadelphia.
HURRICANES 3, SENATORS 2, 2OT
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Martinook beat Linus Ullmark from the slot at 13:53 of the second overtime to help Carolina beat Ottawa and take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series in the NHL playoffs.
Martinook — who was stopped on a penalty shot in the first OT — kept the winning play alive by chasing down a loose rebound toward the boards to keep the possession in the offensive zone. Moments later, Nikolaj Ehlers found Martinook between the circles to beat Ullmark, who was partially shielded by Carolina captain Jordan Staal at the top of the crease.
That set off a mob celebration by the Hurricanes around Martinook in a corner of the ice, ending a game that saw them hang on despite blowing a 2-0 lead and having an apparent winner by Mark Jankowski waved off in the first overtime due to an offside call on review.
The series moves to Canada’s capital for Game 3 on Thursday.
STARS 4, WILD 2
DALLAS (AP) — Wyatt Johnston had two unusual goals, Matt Duchene scored a tiebreaking power-play goal and had an assist, and Dallas beat Minnesota in Game 2 to even their first-round Western Conference series.
The Stars went ahead to stay with a power play winding down about four minutes into the penalty-filled second period when Duchene made a quick pass to Mikko Rantanen and then got the puck back just in front of the crease. That made it 2-1.
Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 28 shots, including a point-blank attempt by Kirill Kaprizov with 2 1/2 minutes to play when the Wild were on a power play after Dallas was penalized for too many men on the ice.
Brock Faber scored his first two career playoff goals for Minnesota, which won the opener 6-1 on Saturday but missed a chance in its 15th playoff appearance to take its first-ever 2-0 series lead.
Jason Robertson, who like Johnston scored 45 goals in the regular season, also scored for Dallas. Nils Lundkvist had two assists.
Game 3 is Wednesday night at Minnesota.
OILERS 4, DUCKS 3
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Kasperi Kapanen scored his second goal of the game with 1:54 left in the third period to give Edmonton a victory over Anaheim in the opener of their first-round playoff series.
Jason Dickinson also scored twice for the Oilers, who trailed 3-2 entering the third.
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.
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 out on postseason play this year.
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood (41) makes a save against Los Angeles Kings right wing Alex Laferriere (14) during the second period of Game 1 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo Jack Dempsey)
