The Edmonton Oilers faced frustration against Lukas Dostal of the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, while Radko Gudas stirred things up physically, in a game that highlighted the evolving nature of modern NHL hockey.
Despite outshooting the Ducks 49 to 27, the Oilers only managed to score twice. This lack of scoring efficiency was a combination of Dostal`s excellent goaltending and the Oilers missing key offensive players, resulting in a 3-2 defeat in Anaheim.
A significant moment of the game was Gudas` questionable hit on Corey Perry. This led to reactions from Darnell Nurse and Alex Jones, who confronted Gudas throughout the game. Perry had to leave the ice temporarily after the hit.
Many penalties, including the one on Gudas, were missed by the referees, which contributed to the game becoming increasingly physical with frequent scrums. However, these confrontations between the younger players did not escalate into the kind of fights that were more common in previous eras of hockey.