Kasperi Kapanen scored his second goal of the night with 1:54 left in regulation, and the Edmonton Oilers held off the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in Game 1. The Oilers had built a 2-0 lead in the first period, but the game was not settled until the final two minutes.
Edmonton started strongly and looked ready to take control early, but the finish turned into the kind of tight, uneasy game that can punish a team that lets its edge slip. After that opening burst, the Oilers drifted back toward the issues that made life difficult during the regular season, leaving Anaheim close enough that one late play had to finish it.
That play came from Kapanen, whose second goal kept the game from staying close longer and gave Edmonton the margin it needed to survive the opening test. In a game that moved from early control to late uncertainty, the Oilers found enough at the end to leave Game 1 with the win.
