McDavid, Oilers hold off Ducks in shootout

ANAHEIM -- Connor McDavid had three assists and scored the deciding goal in the shootout, and the Edmonton Oilers held on to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 6-5 at Honda Center on Sunday.
McDavid beat Ryan Miller in the third round after Rickard Rakell tied it for Anaheim with two goals in the final minute of regulation.

Rakell scored with 20.9 seconds remaining to make it 5-4 after collecting a loose puck and shooting past Al Montoya. He tied it 5-5 with 6.3 seconds left, scoring his third of the game off his own rebound from in front.
"It always feels good to score, but it feels better to win," Rakell said.
\[WATCH: All Oilers vs. Ducks highlights\]
Ryan Strome scored two goals, Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist, and Montoya made 41 saves for Edmonton (27-31-4), which has won three straight and four of five (4-1-0).
"When you are not really in the hunt any more, you need to find ways to keep yourself motivated, and we have definitely been able to do that," McDavid said.
Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and three assists, Corey Perry had three assists, and Miller made 37 saves for Anaheim (31-21-12), which has lost two straight (0-1-1). The Ducks lead the Calgary Flames by one point for third place in the Pacific Division.

Strome made it 3-2 at 8:02 of the second period, scoring on a backhand under the pads of Miller after gathering a pass from Draisaitl off a 2-on-1.
Strome extended the lead to 4-2 at 2:31 of the third period. Jesse Puljujarvi got the loose puck from behind the net and fed Strome, who beat Miller from in front of the crease.

"Try to work hard, go to the dirty areas," Strome said. "I don't think it's anything too special, or a special recipe. The team's playing well, and we're winning some games now."
Getzlaf cut it to 4-3 at 14:00 when his shot from the point hit the back of Oilers defenseman Yohann Auvitu and deflected in over Montoya.
Iiro Pakarinen made it 5-3 at 15:40 off a cross-crease pass from McDavid.

Draisaitl scored to make it 1-0 13 seconds into the game. Michael Cammalleri intercepted a pass from Getzlaf in the neutral zone and passed to Draisaitl, who skated down the right side and beat Miller with a wrist shot.
"We had some breakdowns," Getzlaf said. "It started with my first play of the game."
Rakell tied it 1-1 at 1:46, one-timing a pass from Cam Fowler five-hole on Montoya.

Anton Slepyshev made it 2-1 at 12:55. McDavid gathered the loose puck from behind the net and sent a backhand pass to Slepyshev, who scored from a sharp angle at the right post.
Adam Henrique tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal at 1:22 of the second period.

Goal of the game

McDavid's goal in the shootout

Save of the game

Montoya's save on Ondrej Kase with 7:21 left in the third period.

Highlight of the game

Rakell's goal at 19:53 of the third period.

They said it

"We have to figure out what makes little differences like that, finishing off and closing off teams at the end." -- Oilers goaltender Al Montoya
"In the big picture, if you score five goals, you should win a hockey game. It's on the defensive side we need to definitely address." -- Ducks coach Randy Carlyle

Need to know

The Ducks are the first team since 2004 to force overtime in a game where they trailed by two goals with 21 seconds (or less) remaining in regulation. The last team to do it was the San Jose Sharks, which trailed 3-1 vs. Los Angeles with 20 seconds remaining on Apr. 4, 2004 (won 4-3 in overtime). ... Rakell's hat trick was the first of his career. … The Ducks signed forward Chris Kelly, the captain of the Canadian Olympic team, to a one-year contract. … The Ducks went 2-2 on the penalty kill and have killed 25-26 since Feb. 9. ... Getzlaf has six points (two goals, four assists) in the past three games. ... Edmonton forward Pat Maroon was a healthy scratch and defenseman Kris Russell was out with a hand injury he sustained against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. … Cammalleri has five assists in the past two games. … McDavid has eight points (four goals, four assists) in the past five games. ... Linesman Shane Heyer worked his 2,000th NHL game.

What's next

Oilers: At the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, SNOL, NHL.TV)
Ducks: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday (10 p.m. ET; SN360, FS-W, FS-O, NHL.TV)