ANAHEIM — In a series tied at one win apiece, we’d say both teams could make a case for blowing their opportunity to be up 2-0.

But, as the series shifts to Anaheim for the first Stanley Cup Playoff games at The Pond in eight years, this is also a guarantee: Both the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers can also see a world in which they could be down two games to none at this juncture of the series.

So let’s all agree: a 1-1 series seems just about right, all things considered. Nobody got dominated for six periods; nobody lost or won on bad luck or a goofy call.

But how did we get here? And where does it go from here?

Well, the Oilers had a plan. And then reality arrived.

The plan — In the run-up to the series, Edmonton’s leaders spoke of how they would endeavour to play a lower event, defensively responsible game. We reminded readers that back when the Oilers were the Ducks — a young, run n’ gun team of mostly 22-year-olds — opponents who forced those young Oilers to play a hard, grinding game with limited chances were the teams that gave Edmonton the most trouble.

The reality — When it comes to dictating how the game has been played through 120 minutes of hockey, Anaheim has had far more control than Edmonton. The series scoring — 9-8 for........

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