Anaheim Ducks center Andrew Cogliano, left, scores past Edmonton Oilers goalie Cam Talbot, right, and Oilers' Darnell Nurse during the second period in Game 7 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, May 10, 2017.Chris Carlson/The Associated Press
Head down and shoulders slumped, Cam Talbot sat in front of his stall in the quiet of the Oilers dressing room at the Honda Center late Wednesday night. He stopped 26 of 28 shots over the previous three hours -- and 120 of 127 in the last three games -- but it wasn't enough.
Nick Ritchie knuckled a shot beneath Talbot's arm early in the third period, and the Ducks held on to beat the Oilers, 2-1, in the seventh game of their second-round postseason series.
Anaheim advances to the Western Conference finals against the Nashville Predators. Edmonton's season is over after making a surprising playoff run.
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"What can you say about this group?" Talbot said quietly, struggling for words. "We finished near the bottom of the league last year, and took a big step this year. I don't think anybody thought we would be here.
"I am really proud to be part of this team."
The Oilers finished 29th among 30 teams in the league last year and came within one victory – one goal, really – of beating the Pacific Division champions for five straight years.
The season series was as close as can be: 6-6 including seven playoff games. In the playoffs, the Oilers had a slight scoring advantage, 23-21.
They made great strides this season, but losing still hurt.
"Certainly, we wanted very badly to beat those guys," Patrick Maroon, Edmonton's big forward, said. "Obviously this one is going to sting for a while.
"But you have to give credit to our team. I think we have come a long way. We have a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup and we proved that. The future is exciting for this team. There is a lot to look forward to."
It was an exciting series with great swings in emotion, great performances and no lack of controversy. The Oilers jumped in front by winning twice in Anaheim, then lost the next three, including back-to-back games in overtime.
In both, they had challenges for goaltender interference denied. The second time, it appeared that Ryan Kesler grabbed Talbot during a scramble in the crease to prevent him from stopping the tying goal with 15 seconds left.
Then, with their season on the line, the Oilers routed Anaheim 7-1 in Game 6 at Rogers Place. Leon Draisaitl had the first hat trick and five-point-game of his career. He had 21 points in 12 games against the Ducks this season.
Thrilled to have escaped elimination, they were very loose after their morning skate Wednesday. If the pressure of playing their first Game 7 in 11 years was getting to them, it wasn't apparent.
Connor McDavid joked about the excitement the playoff run was causing in Edmonton. He was accosted by fans several times as he walked through the airport on Tuesday on his way to the team's flight to Southern California.
One couple stopped him for a picture and cozied up a bit too close.
"I don't know how you are supposed to feel comfortable," McDavid said. "The guy had me in a death grip. I wanted to run for the plane as fast as I could."
On Tuesday, the Oilers sold 18,000 tickets in two minutes to fans who wanted to watch the game on the giant scoreboard at Rogers Place. Several thousand travelled to Anaheim and chanted in their seats 40 minutes before the puck dropped. Hundreds gathered on the patio of a restaurant across the street from the arena. Some stood in front of the building shouting through megaphones.
Darryl Stein was among a group of six displaced Edmonton fans in attendance. He and his friends all live in Victoria now, and have been watching some of the Oilers' postseason games at his condo.
"I can go months without cursing, but in the context of a hockey game I drop F-bombs about every five minutes," Stein said.
The Oilers got the quick start they were hoping for, with Drake Caggiula jamming a puck past John Gibson only three-and-a-half minutes into the game. It was the second goal of the series for the rookie forward, who was the most valuable player in the NCAA tournament last year while leading the University of North Dakota to the championship. His first goal had tied Game 4 with 1:42 remaining and sent it to overtime.
Talbot came far out of the net a few minutes later to swat away a puck and break up a 2-on-0 opportunity. The Ducks looked to have tied the game at 1 when Cam Fowler slammed in a one-timer from the blue line with 5:49 remaining in the second but the play was immediately ruled offside.
Andrew Cogliano, who played for the Oilers from 2007-11, finally got Anaheim on the scoreboard with 11:05 left in the second. It was his first goal of postseason.
The Oilers were fortunate to get through 40 minutes with the game tied. They were outworked, outhustled, outhit and outshot in the second, 16-3. Talbot kept them in it, scrambling to make one big save after another.
The Ducks eventually took over on the goal by Ritchie. They had lost in Game 7 of the playoffs in each of the last four years after taking a 3-2 lead.
"I thought we learned from the past," Ryan Getzlaf, the Anaheim captain said. The victory fell on his 32nd birthday. "It was a great series between two good teams that battled hard the entire way. It was fitting to end the way it did."
The Oilers called a time out with 2:03 remaining, and when play resumed they pulled Talbot and fired a flurry of shots at Gibson. The Ducks called a timeout with 1:03 remaining, and then held on.
"We battled hard up and down the line-up," McDavid, the Oilers' captain, said. He was held scoreless for the second straight night. "That is a great team over there. I don't think many people gave us much of a chance against them.
"If you look at any team that has won the Stanley Cup, they start out with a disappointment. We've taken huge steps forward and done that. We'll be back."