Carlsson, Terry lead Ducks to 5-2 win in Game 6, eliminating the 2-time conference champ Oilers

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry and Chris Kreider had a goal and two assists apiece, and the Anaheim Ducks eliminated Connor McDavid the two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers with a 5-2 victory in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series Thursday night.

Cutter Gauthier had a goal and an assist, Ryan Poehling scored the opening goal and Lukas Dostal made 25 saves in a standout performance for the upstart Ducks, who stormed to their team’s first playoff series victory since 2017.

After ending a seven-year postseason absence by knocking out the powerhouse Oilers, Anaheim will face the winner of the Vegas Golden Knights’ series with the Utah Mammoth. Vegas leads 3-2 heading to Salt Lake City on Friday night.

Connor Murphy and Vasily Podkolzin scored as Edmonton followed up its worst regular season since 2021 by going out in the first round for the first time since that season.

After winning nine playoff series and reaching two Stanley Cup Finals in the past four years, McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers finally appeared to run out of energy and health during a disastrous defensive performance against the Ducks, who scored three goals in the first period of Game 6.

Even with 14 players making their postseason debuts, the Ducks admirably handled the pressure while winning four of the last five games against the seasoned Oilers. Carlsson had an outstanding Game 6 to cap the 21-year-old center’s strong debut playoff series, while emerging star defenseman Jackson LaCombe scored nine points and led the Ducks’ defensive efforts against McDavid and Draisaitl.

In Game 6, Anaheim also got its best effort of the series from Dostal, who had the NHL’s second-worst save percentage in the postseason after getting pulled from Game 5. The Czech Olympian was sharp all night, highlighted by a breakaway stop on Zach Hyman.

Backed by a frenzied sellout crowd that included Angels slugger Mike Trout, the Ducks scored first in Game 6 for the first time in the entire series when John Carlson’s shot hit Poehling and trickled in for his fourth goal of the series.

Carlsson then set up Kreider off the rush, ending the longtime Rangers star’s 17-game goal drought with his first playoff goal for the Ducks — on his 35th birthday, no less.

Murphy answered for Edmonton 1:31 later, but Gauthier got his fourth playoff goal on a power play when his one-timer arced in off Darnell Nurse’s stick.

Late in a tense second period, Carlsson took the puck from Evan Bouchard and fed Terry for a 4-1 lead.

Edmonton scored early in the third when Kasperi Kapanen’s wide shot deflected in off Podkolzin’s leg, but McDavid and Draisaitl couldn’t get it any closer. The Oilers pulled Ingram with 3:57 left, but Carlsson scored into an empty net.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, left, and Anaheim Ducks center Tim Washe go after the puck on a face-off during the second period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Connor Murphy, second from left, celebrates his goal with teammates as Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal stands in goal during the first period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Anaheim Ducks center Tim Washe, left, puts a hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ty Emberson during the second period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Anaheim Ducks left wing Chris Kreider, left, celebrates his goal on Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram, right, during the first period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Poehling, right, celebrates his goal with center Mason McTavish during the first period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Edmonton Oilers, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jaden McDaniels had 32 points and 10 rebounds and Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points in a surprise start for the injury-ravaged Minnesota Timberwolves in a 110-98 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday night that finished off another tense NBA playoff series between the rivals.

With their top three guards missing because of injuries, the Timberwolves went big with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid fueling a 64-40 advantage in points in the paint and an 50-33 edge in rebounding.

Minnesota, the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, will start the second round at San Antonio on Monday. The second-seeded Spurs beat Portland in five games in their first-round series.

Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds to lead the Nuggets, but sidekick Jamal Murray struggled to get free from McDaniels and finished with just 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting. Cameron Johnson scored 27 points to lead Denver's 10-for-27 night from deep, but Jokic and the 3-pointers simply weren't enough to keep up with a fiercely motivated Timberwolves team.

With Ayo Dosunmu joining Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo on the inactive list, the Timberwolves were missing a big chunk of their ability to create shots.

Winning this game was going to require extra doses of defense and energy, and they brought both. Shannon added an element of pure speed that the Nuggets couldn’t stop when he found space toward the basket. McDaniels, embracing the villain role, was a monster on both ends of the floor. The Timberwolves fed off the roaring crowd at every turn and consistently made up for their missing offense with hustle and desire.

Shannon’s three-point play with 1:43 left gave the Timberwolves a six-point lead, and McDaniels followed with the dagger shot — his signature mid-range pull-up was a swish from 19 feet to make it a seven-point game with 1:06 to play. Then he intercepted a harried pass by Jokic to get the ball back and start a parade to the line.

Since beating the Timberwolves in five games in the first round and cruising to the NBA championship in the 2023, the Nuggets haven’t found the production or spunk they’ve needed to supplement the three-time MVP Jokic. They extended the series with a decisive win in Game 5 on Monday, but Minnesota’s defense delivered again this postseason in neutralizing Jokic and rendering Murray an afterthought.

McDaniels tirelessly chased him around the perimeter. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner Gobert kept giving Jokic a hard time in the paint with his long arms and superb anticipation.

McDaniels tossed even more spice into this well-developed rivalry early in the series with his blanket “bad defenders” jab at the Nuggets, and none of the Timberwolves have made any secret of distaste for their opponent. Then their motivation soared off the charts when DiVincenzo went down in the opening minute of Game 4, and their franchise player Edwards followed him on the injured list. During a stoppage in the fourth quarter, DiVincenzo was shown with a big smile as he sat with his foot propped up in a cast behind the bench.

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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) celebrates his three-point basket against the Denver Nuggets during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr., left, controls the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, center, defends during the first half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, left, works around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, right, during the first half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, looks to shoot over Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, right, controls the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, left, defends during the first half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)