Ducks Outlast Oilers 5-4 in a One-Goal Thriller

Ducks 5, Oilers 4. Final. Anaheim leaves Edmonton with two points and a result that will have fans on both sides arguing about the margin.

Nobody gets to call this a clean game. Five goals for Anaheim says the visitors kept finding ways to beat the Oilers, and four for Edmonton says the home side never went quiet. When a game lands on a one-goal margin, the result rarely comes down to one shift or one bounce. It usually comes down to who stayed composed when the pace got loose and who converted the chances that mattered.

Our read: this is a good night for Anaheim and a frustrating one for an Edmonton group that will be asked why a four-goal effort wasn't enough. Give the Ducks credit for finishing. Give the Oilers credit for keeping it close enough to make the final minutes uncomfortable for everyone.

We did not publish a pick on this one, so there's no scorecard to settle. Just the final, the result, and a reminder that in this league a close game can turn on a single mistake. Check the box score, take your shots in the replies, and tell us where you think this one was really decided.