Overview
- Edmonton winger Vasily Podkolzin dropped the gloves with Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson and was assessed a two‑minute instigator minor, a five‑minute fighting major and a game misconduct while Helleson received only a two‑minute minor.
- The confrontation followed a hit that drove Oilers captain Connor McDavid into the net and briefly sent McDavid for medical attention during the first period on Thursday night.
- Anaheim scored on the ensuing power play at 9:26 when Cutter Gauthier put the Ducks up 1‑0, a sequence that directly followed Podkolzin's ejection and changed the opening‑period flow.
- Referee Cody Beach described the incident as a 'one‑man fight,' a characterization that, together with the uneven penalties, has prompted scrutiny of how instigation and fighting are enforced on the ice.
- Podkolzin arrives with a history of fights in the NHL while Helleson had virtually no prior NHL fighting experience, and the episode underscores how teammate protection and officiating decisions can have immediate game and roster consequences.