Edmonton won because Dostal conceded 2.10 goals above league average on just 9 shots, gifting a 3-goal first period that Anaheim never recovered from.
β‘TURNING POINT
Draisaitl's power-play goal at 10:24 of the second period restored Edmonton's three-goal cushion immediately after Anaheim had cut the deficit to two. With the score moving back to 4-1, Anaheim's mathematical path to a comeback closed β any tactical adjustments they made in the subsequent 29 minutes produced zero goals against a locked-in Ingram.
πWHY EDM WON
1
Goaltending: Ingram conceded 1 goal below league average on 30 shots β in a 4-goal game where the opponent outshot Edmonton 30-20, that margin was the foundation of the result.
2
Faceoff Dominance: 61.9% faceoff rate (39 of 63 won) β controlling possession at the dot suppressed Anaheim's zone entries and starved their attack of the puck in the offensive zone.
3
Blocked Shots: 16 blocked shots versus Anaheim's 7 β Edmonton's defensive structure absorbed Anaheim's shot volume and prevented meaningful scoring-chance generation despite the outshooting deficit.
πWHY ANA LOST
1
Goaltending: Dostal conceded 2.10 goals above league average on just 9 shots in 10:13 of play β in a game decided by three first-period goals, that margin was the entire deficit.
2
Faceoff Rate: 38.1% faceoff win rate β chronic possession disadvantage through the neutral zone prevented Anaheim from sustaining offensive-zone time to mount pressure.
3
Giveaways: 14 giveaways against Edmonton's 17 β Anaheim's puck management compounded their structural disadvantage, repeatedly handing transition opportunities to a team that converted three times inside 11 minutes.
Three Stars
Leon Draisaitl1st
EDM, C
2G4 SOG+11 PPG23:22 TOI
His two goals β one to make it 3-0 and one to restore the three-goal lead after Anaheim scored β bracketed every momentum shift in the game.
Connor Ingram2nd
EDM, G
29 savesSV% 0.967conceded 2.00 goals below league average on 30 shots
Anaheim outshot Edmonton by 10 and generated nothing β Ingram made the shot-volume disparity irrelevant.
Vasily Podkolzin3rd
EDM, R
1G7 hits+212:34 TOI
His opening goal at 2:22 set the tone and his 7 hits in limited ice time established the physical register that defined Edmonton's first period.