Oilers Win Game 5 On The Back Of Ingram

The daily main story at Hockey Hot Stove is powered by Watrhouse Brands, dedicated to quality, consumer education, and awareness: Benevolent Bakery, SoSHEL beverages, and Smokiez vegan fruit chews. Today: Edmonton Oilers.

The Edmonton Oilers, who were facing elimination in Game 5, put their trust in Connor Ingram, despite benching him in Game 4. It was the right decision as he stopped 29 of 30 shots in a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. The best-of-seven series is now at 3-2 for the Ducks.

Ingram stood tall when it mattered most, and Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch made it clear the decision to start him was not a gamble. Knoblauch praised his goaltender after the game, pointing to Ingram’s calm demeanor.

“Yeah, I thought he made a lot of good saves,” Knoblauch said. “A lot of his talent is making hard saves look easy. Just because he’s compact, he doesn’t move very much. I thought there were a couple of times where they’re perimeter shots, but they were dangerous because they had really good net front, and you’re not sure if the goalie is going to pick it up. I thought he was on his game because he was picking those up.”

The decision did raise some questions before the game, given Ingram’s uneven playoff numbers. He is responsible for allowing 14 goals in his first three starts before his benching in Game 4. Still, Knoblauch stressed that Ingram had been the team’s starter late in the season and earned trust in key moments.

Oilers and Ducks Game 5 Recap

First Period:

Vasily Podkolzin opened the scoring for Edmonton at 02:22 to give the Oilers an early 1-0 lead. Zach Hyman would add to the Oilers’ lead at 08:33 when he tipped in a shot from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Just after the halfway point of the period (10:13), Leon Draisaitl tipped in a shot from Evan Bouchard. Just like that, the Oilers had a 3-0 lead.

Second Period:

At 08:26 of the second period, Alex Killorn scored a power play goal for the Ducks to make it a 3-1 game. However, Draisaitl would also register a power-play goal. He scored at 10:24 of the period to restore Edmonton’s three-goal lead.

Third Period:

Just over a minute into the third period, Troy Terry had a chance to get the Ducks’ second goal, but the puck rang off the post. Anaheim continued to press throughout the period, but Ingram stood tall. The Ducks outshot the Oilers 13-3 in the period. However, the Oilers weathered the storm and won 4-1 and live to play a Game 6 on Thursday.