EDMONTON — Somehow, the Anaheim Ducks managed to cut off the head of the snake in their playoff debut at Edmonton, yet still, the rest of the Oilers strangled them in a 4-3 win.

For the first time all season, the Oilers won a game in which Connor McDavid didn’t have a point. Talk about a double-edged sword for the Ducks.

“If you're able to shut down some of those top, high-end guys, you typically have a good result,” mused Anaheim’s Alex Killorn. “I'll give credit to their secondary scoring.”

Alas, death by Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen was not on Anaheim’s Bingo card as these playoffs opened Monday. But up north, the entire theme in Oil Country has revolved around getting to games like this one.

In Edmonton, the local hockey team has played eight playoff rounds in two years with nothing but a pair of Western Conference banners to show for it. There have been no banner-raising ceremonies, or hour-long variety shows preceding the following seasons’ home opener.

Just half of a Canadian province, trying to conjure up a solution on how to find one or two more wins in a season of 105 games? How to fine tune one of the NHL’s better teams into the league best team, to build a better base underneath and........

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