Game 1 notes: Kapanen’s clutch scoring, Walman finding his swagger, observations from behind Oilers’ net, and more |
There’s nothing quite like the Edmonton Oilers playoff experience.
The city is buzzing with excitement, with everyone dressed up in their finest orange and blue silks, the festivities outside Rogers Place are jam-packed, and the arena is rockin’. And one thing you can count on is that the Oilers are never out of the fight.
In true Oilers fashion, they opened their postseason with another come-from-behind win, defeating the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 in Game 1, led by their depth players. In this edition of Oilers Thoughts, we’ll talk about those depth players’ performances, along with some observations from my view behind the Oilers’ net.
Kasperi Kapanen continues to deliver in clutch moments
I’ve heard many nicknames for Kasperi Kapanen, like “Cheeks” and “Klappy,” but at this point it should simply be “Clutch.”
The 29-year-old scored twice against the Ducks last game, burying the last one with close to two minutes remaining, as Rogers Place erupted, and the goal stood as the game-winner, sending the Oilers’ faithful home on a high note.
And with his latest game-winning goal, that now makes it two huge playoff game-winners in two seasons with the Oilers for the Finnish forward.
Looking back, Kapanen didn’t play for the first nine games last playoffs, and when he was inserted into the lineup, he was placed on Leon Draisaitl’s wing, with Vasily Podkolzin, on the other side, in the second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Not only did that trio shut down the Jack Eichel line in the final two games of the series, but they also combined for the crucial Game 5 winner.
With Game 5 scoreless heading into overtime, Kapanen whacked in the rebound, becoming the OT hero to send the Oilers to the Western Conference Final.
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KASPERI KAPANEN IS THE OVERTIME HERO! HE SENDS THE OILERS TO ROUND 3! 🎥: Sportsnet | #LetsGoOilers
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4:44 AM · May 15, 2025
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On top of that, Kapanen has scored a couple of other massive game-winning goals in his hockey career, including burying the OT winner at the 2016 World Juniors to help Finland win gold, and scoring the double overtime OT for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2017 playoffs.
At this point, his knack for scoring in critical situations isn’t a fluke. Some players just have that clutch gene, and Kapanen is one of them. Moving forward, with the game on the line, expect Kris Knoblauch to tap the Kuopio, Fin., native on the shoulder as one of the first players called upon to be the........