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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
When we last spoke to Anaheim Ducks forward Chris Wagner following his team’s 4-0 first-round sweep of the Calgary Flames, the Walpole native and Colgate University product stated that he was hoping to help out in any way possible, and hopefully, net his first-career playoff goal in Anaheim’s second-round date with the Edmonton Oilers.
“I just want to help out and contribute in any way I can, whether it’s with hits, blocking shots, or whatever,” said Wagner. “Getting that first playoff goal would be pretty sweet so that’s definitely a personal goal for this series.”
After Anaheim suffered heartbreaking defeats at home in games one and two against Edmonton, the matchup shifted back to Oil Country with the Ducks desperately looking to get themselves back into the series down 0-2. In game three, the Ducks jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to goals by Rickard Rakell, Jakub Silfverberg, and Ryan Getzlaf, and it appeared as if Anaheim was about to turn the series around.
Edmonton would respond, however, in the form of three-straight goals by Patrick Maroon, Anton Slepyshev, and Connor McDavid to knot the score at three with just under 12 minutes remaining in the second. Less than a minute after the tying goal by McDavid, Wagner stepped up big and delivered his first ever playoff tally.
It could not have come at a better time.
After receiving a pass that was just out of his reach at the blue line by defenseman Josh Manson, Wags followed the puck to the nearside boards deep in the Edmonton end and clapped a slap shot on net. The puck found a way under the arm of Oiler goaltender Cam Talbot and into the back of the net to give the Ducks back the lead at 4-3, completely changing the momentum of the game, and possibly even the entire series. After the game, Wagner spoke to FOX Sports’ Kent French, and said while it certainly was not the prettiest goal of his career, he’s just happy he was able to put one on the board for his team and that they all look the same on the score sheet.
“I don’t [care how it went in] either, that’s for sure,” said Wagner. “I didn’t even see it go in to be honest. [It] definitely was not the hardest shot but who cares, we won the game.”
Following Wagner’s goal, the Ducks scored two straight (one by Silfverberg and one by Ryan Kesler) to jump ahead 6-3 and prevail by the same score, making it a 2-1 series. In game four, the Ducks battled to a 4-3 overtime win, thanks to Jakub Silfverberg’s heroics in the extra period to send things back to Anaheim tied at two games apiece.
While Wagner’s personal highlight of the Edmonton series was certainly his game-winning goal in game three, he would be the first to tell you that the most memorable highlight of this 2017 postseason thus far was his team’s late game five comeback. Down 3-0 with 3:08 remaining in the game and facing the prospect of returning to Edmonton down 3-2 in the series, the Ducks rallied with a franchise playoff record three goals in 3:08 by Getzlaf, Cam Fowler, and Rakell, who banged home a rebound with 15 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. Following a scoreless first overtime period, Corey Perry finally completed the comeback with a patient cross-crease move, sliding the puck past the left pad of Cam Talbot to win the game 4-3 and give Anaheim the 3-2 series edge in absolutely remarkable fashion.
After a tough 7-1 loss in game six, the series shifted back to Honda Center last Wednesday night for a winner-take all game seven. Despite giving up an early goal to Edmonton’s Drake Caggulia, Wagner and company kept the comeback theme of this series alive with goals coming from Andrew Cogliano and Nick Ritchie to prevail 2-1, winning the series four games to three and advancing to the Western Conference Finals against Nashville. The win on Wednesday night snapped Anaheim’s recent game-seven woes, as the club had previously lost five-straight game sevens dating all the way back to 2013.
Following the Edmonton series, Wagner is now tied for fourth on the Ducks in hits (25), has blocked six shots, won 15 of 24 faceoff attempts (62.5%) and tallied one goal throughout these 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Wagner and the Ducks have a tough task ahead of them going up against a very deep, well coached, and speedy Nashville Predator team in the conference finals, but it is due to be an incredible battle, and one that could very well (and hopefully) decide where the Stanley Cup visits this summer.
At the time of print, the series is tied 1-1, heading back to Nashville for game three.
