Pluck payoff

How do you explain a 25-3 first-period shot advantage?

Perhaps it was Anaheim Mighty Ducks coach Randy Carlyle's line shuffling. Or his decision to switch goalies and return the job to 2003 playoff hero Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Maybe it was seven years and 13 games worth of frustration in Edmonton boiling over.

Or maybe the Mighty Ducks were just due.

Before you try to explain the dramatic turnaround that allowed Anaheim to pile up all those shots and five power-play chances and three goals in that first period, it's important to remember how the Mighty Ducks got to the brink of elimination in the first place.

Anaheim out-hit Edmonton 21-8 in Game 1, out-shot them 32-26 and won more draws, only to come up short. Same story in Game 2 – more shots and more chances, yet more frustration after a 3-1 Oilers win was iced by an empty-netter.

Game 3 was Edmonton's best, but even then the Ducks put 14 shots on the board in the first period and 16 more in that unforgettable third period. The Oilers countered with 22 on the night.

Which brings us to Thursday and that part-playoff game, part-penalty parade that saw Anaheim take 25 shots in the first period, the most ever allowed by Edmonton in a single period of postseason hockey. Given a chance to rant about the officiating – the Oilers were called for five penalties in the first period, Anaheim none – Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish chose a different approach.

"They haven't gotten many breaks to this point in the series," MacTavish said. While he would go on to say some of the calls were "questionable," he said his team deserved them.

And maybe Anaheim deserved a break. The Ducks' first goal deflected off an Edmonton defenseman and into the net. Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson let in a soft one for a change. And Giguere, though not spectacular, made some key saves.

THIRD STAR OF THE DAY

Joffry Lupul wasn't part of Anaheim's first-period barrage, accounting for none of the Mighty Ducks' 25 shots. After that, he was a big factor. Lupul had four shots in the second period, the most damaging being a crowd-silencing wrist shot that beat Roloson after a faceoff scrum. He added an empty-netter to tie Patrick Marleau and Fernando Pisani atop the league leaders with nine playoff goals.

SECOND STAR OF THE DAY

Scott Niedermayer took a bad penalty leading to an Oilers two-man advantage in the third period, but he was otherwise solid in a workmanlike 29 minutes of ice time. The defenseman was one of two Anaheim players with six shots on goal and he picked up an assist on Ryan Getzlaf's power-play goal in the opening period.

FIRST STAR OF THE DAY

Dustin Penner hadn't scored in this series, but he was a factor in Games 2 and 3 with a combined nine shots on goal and an assist. On Thursday, he broke through with the Mighty Ducks' first two goals. The first was a grinder's goal, but the second came after a pretty move faked Edmonton defenseman Chris Pronger off his skates. The rookie was a plus-2 in 15 minutes of ice time.

MINOR PENALTY

With a little less than two minutes remaining in the first period, the Oilers were whistled for two many men on the ice. Less than 10 seconds later, Edmonton captain Jason Smith cleared the puck over the glass for a second minor penalty. Killing one extended 5-on-3 power play is asking a lot, and the Oilers had already done that earlier in the opening period. They weren't so lucky the second time as Getzlaf scored to give Anaheim a 3-0 lead. The Oilers' inability to stay out of the penalty box played a big role in the Ducks' 25-3 first-period shot barrage.

MAJOR PENALTY

Roloson's magic mask stayed on for most of the night. As the Sharks and Mighty Ducks can attest, that mask has a knack for flying off whenever the goalie needs a whistle. There was a new trick Thursday, however. Roloson skated out of his crease, initiated contact with Anaheim center Andy McDonald, then hit the deck like he'd just been steamrolled. The refs bit. McDonald was given two minutes for interference even though replays showed he never entered the crease and it was Roloson who instigated the collision. Some call it a veteran's savvy. Others call it unsportsmanlike conduct. In this case, Roloson deserved two minutes for diving.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR FRIDAY

Game 4: Carolina Hurricanes at Buffalo Sabres : – Buffalo got some bad news on its off day when it learned that defenseman Henrik Tallinder has a broken arm. He's done for the playoffs, and Teppo Numminen is iffy for Game 4 with a groin injury. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff might get creative to fill the holes on his blueline. Thursday he hinted that forward Jason Pominville could be moved to defense Friday. Yes, they're talking about the Buffalo sports curse once again in upstate New York.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT Watch

Penner's move on Pronger was probably the prettiest goal of the night. A couple of big hits set up Edmonton goals in the second period when the Oilers briefly cut the Anaheim lead to 4-3.

Matt Romig is a Yahoo! Sports fantasy expert and NHL analyst. Send Matt a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Updated on Friday, May 26, 2006 10:49 am, EDT

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