Corey Perry scored 6:57 into the second overtime after the Anaheim Ducks rallied from a three-goal deficit in the final minutes of regulation, completing a spectacular 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Friday night and seizing a 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series. Rickard Rakell put the tying goal through a crowd of prone players with 15 seconds left in regulation to cap a stunning sequence of three goals in just over three minutes, all with goalie John Gibson pulled for an extra attacker. After nearly 27 tense minutes of overtime, Perry collected a pass from Ryan Getzlaf and waited out a sprawling Cam Talbot to finish Anaheim's third straight win — and the first home victory for either team in the series. Game 6 is Sunday in Edmonton. Perry finished with a goal and two assists, posting another memorable playoff game following an unimpressive regular season for the former NHL MVP. Gibson made 35 saves, helping the Ducks move one win away from their second trip to the Western Conference finals in three seasons. Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and Drake Caggiula scored during a dominant second period, but the Oilers coughed up a big late lead despite solid play by Talbot, who stopped 60 shots. Getzlaf and Cam Fowler scored late in regulation before Rakell got the equalizer. Anaheim became the first team in Stanley Cup playoff history to force overtime or win a playoff game after trailing by three goals with less than four minutes left in regulation, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Oilers had several golden scoring chances in overtime, but were unable to convert any of them. After a disastrous start to the series in Anaheim, the Ducks returned home with confidence and two gritty road wins, including an overtime victory in Game 4. After a scoreless first period in Game 5, Draisaitl put the Oilers ahead 15 seconds into the second when his shot was kicked into the net by Gibson. The Ducks then took two penalties in rapid succession, and McDavid capitalized on the two-man advantage by batting a puck out of midair for the fifth goal in his first Stanley Cup playoff run. Caggiula put the Oilers up 3-0 with a score off a 4-on-1 rush midway through the period. But Edmonton couldn't hang on in regulation after the Ducks pulled Gibson and mounted another rally sparked by Getzlaf, who has 15 points in a spectacular postseason. After the Anaheim captain scored his eighth goal in nine games, Fowler's goal 35 seconds later set off a frenzy at Honda Center. The Ducks pressed for an equalizer, and Rakell finally got it when he slipped a puck under a crowd that included center Ryan Kesler right next to Talbot. Video review found no goalie interference because Kesler had been shoved into Talbot by Darnell Nurse, and the Ducks celebrated madly. Blues 2, Predators 1: Channeling desperation into perhaps their most complete effort of the playoffs, St. Louis stayed alive in their Western Conference semifinal series, beating Nashville. Jaden Schwartz broke a tie 25 seconds into the third period, cutting the Predators' lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-2. Dmitrij Jaskin also scored for the Blues and James Neal scored for the Predators. — Agencies
