ANAHEIM — Cam Talbot made 39 saves for the shutout, and the Anaheim Ducks lost their eighth straight game, 4-0 to the Edmonton Oilers at Honda Center on Sunday.
The Ducks (19-17-7), who are 0-6-2 during the losing streak, matched the longest skid in their history; they lost eight straight from Oct. 12-30, 1996 (0-8-0), and Nov. 3-20, 2005 (0-5-3).
“When you’re in a funk and in frustration mode, it’s the hardest thing in the world when you work, work, work and you don’t get results, and they score,” Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “That’s how it felt tonight. We were working our tails off trying to get opportunities, and the one opportunity they get, they score. It’s something we have to get over. Get over that hurdle.”
[WATCH: All Oilers vs. Ducks highlights]
It was the 20th NHL shutout for Talbot and first since a 3-0 win against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 4, 2017, the opening game of last season.
Connor McDavid, Jesse Puljujarvi, Kyle Brodziak and Leon Draisaitl scored, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Caleb Jones each had two assists for the Oilers (20-19-3), who are 2-7-0 in their past nine games.
“This kind of performance was a long time coming for us,” Talbot said. “We haven’t played our best hockey of late, so hopefully this is something we can build off moving forward and put ourselves right back in the thick of things.”
In addition to their 39 shots on goal, the Ducks had another 24 blocked.
“We had a lot of opportunities at their net, that’s for sure,” Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. “We had lots of puck possession time.”
Video: Talbot earns Sunday’s Pepsi Zero Sugar Shutout
Edmonton, which lost 4-0 at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, scored three goals in the first period.
The Ducks had the first four shots on goal and kept the puck in the offensive zone for most of the first five minutes, but the Oilers took a 1-0 lead on McDavid’s team-leading 24th goal of the season.
John Gibson made his first save on a wraparound try by Zack Kassian. The puck came out in front of the crease and Gibson made two more saves on McDavid before his third shot from the side of the net hit Gibson’s glove and dropped beyond the goal line at 7:37.
“I was just trying to weather the storm until we could get going, and Connor got us a big goal,” Talbot said. “We never really looked back from there.”
Video: EDM@ANA: McDavid scores on his third chance
Puljujarvi made it 2-0 at 16:05. Darnell Nurse shot the puck from above the left circle as Puljujarvi battled for position in front of the net with Josh Manson. The puck hit Puljujarvi and dropped in front of the crease. Manson lost sight of the puck, giving Puljujarvi time to shoot a backhand between Gibson’s pads.
McDavid and Draisaitl combined for nine of the Oilers’ previous 11 goals.
“We can’t lean on our best players to get the points every night,” Kassian said. “We need it throughout our lineup, and tonight was a great example of that.”
Brodziak scored shorthanded with 11 seconds left in the period after Anaheim was awarded the first power play of the game.
The Ducks turned the puck over coming through the neutral zone. Nugent-Hopkins brought it down the left side and cut into the slot. Pontus Aberg broke up his shot attempt, but the puck went to Brodziak in front of the crease and he lifted a backhand shot into the net.
Video: EDM@ANA: Brodziak nets SHG with backhander in front
“All they did is they waited for an opportunity,” Carlyle said. “They got their first goal and they sat back and counter-punched and did a good job at it.”
Draisaitl’s 23rd goal of the season made it 4-0 at 7:25 of the second period.
Gibson made 20 saves.
They said it
“Maybe not the prettiest of wins. We still have stuff we can improve on, but at the end of the day if you get the two points, you’re pretty happy.” — Oilers defenseman Caleb Jones
“If there is one issue, it’s a lot easier to fix. It’s a matter of buckling down, getting in a groove again and playing the right way shift in, shift out. There are small areas of the game we’re making mistakes all the time. When they’re repeated mistakes, that’s when it hurts you.” — Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf
Need to know
Oilers defenseman Kris Russell returned after missing the past 10 games with a groin injury. He blocked three shots in 22:39. … McDavid has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) and Draisaitl has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in the past seven games. … Getzlaf went without a point for the seventh straight game, an NHL career high. … Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler returned after missing the past 23 games with facial fractures and was minus-2 with two giveaways in 22:01.
What’s next
Oilers: At the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday (10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSCA, SNW, NHL.TV)
Ducks: Host the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET, PRIME, TSN5, RDS, NHL.TV)
from A Viral Update http://bit.ly/2CU3Ghz
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