The Anaheim Ducks are one victory away from winning their first Stanley Cup playoff series in nine years.

Finishing off the two-time defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers, especially on the road, won’t come easily.

The Ducks own a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven first-round series heading into Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Anaheim has won three in a row after blowing a late lead and dropping the series opener 4-3 on April 20.

The Ducks answered back with a 6-4 win last Wednesday and a 7-4 victory Friday. Overtime was needed Sunday before the Ducks came away with a 4-3 victory.

“We’re up 3-1, and every game has been a toss-up,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “Hanging in there and finding different ways, different guys against an excellent hockey team. We’re in a position now to look ahead and only think of one game.”

Quenneville is well aware that the Oilers have made a habit of coming back during the playoffs in recent years. They lost the first two games of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings last season before winning four straight.

Two years ago, Edmonton came back from 2-1 series deficits in the second and third rounds and then dropped the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers before forcing a Game 7.

“We’re in a hole, no doubt about it,” Oilers star Connor McDavid said. “We have to find a way to get a win at home.”

McDavid, who led the NHL with 138 points during the regular season, hasn’t been as dangerous since tweaking his right ankle in Game 2. He did manage to produce two points in each of the past two games after going scoreless in the first two, however.

“We’re all doing the best we can out there,” McDavid said. “We’re all working and trying to get it done.”

Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch likely will start Tristan Jarry in goal for the second straight game.

Jarry started Game 4 in place of Connor Ingram, who surrendered 14 goals on 93 shots in the first three games of the series (.849).

Jarry made 34 saves in his first postseason start since a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first round on May 15, 2022, when he played for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“Tristan played really well,” Knoblauch said. “Two of the goals, one went off our defenseman’s stick and the other was an unfortunate bounce that went off a skate. He made some big saves, and that’s what we wanted from him, a solid performance, and he played well. “

On the other side, Lukas Dostal played his best game of the series, making 24 saves. He used the blade of his right skate to turn away McDavid after he got behind the defense in the final minutes of regulation.

“He’s the rock of our team,” Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier said of Dostal. “It doesn’t really surprise me how well he performs in high-pressure situations like that.”

The Ducks will also look to stay hot on the power play, which is 6-for-12 in the series.

“Our execution has been excellent,” Anaheim defenseman Jackson LaCombe said. “Similar to our 5-on-5 play, we’ve been working more and recovering more pucks, being in better spots for each other and being more available. That’s leading to more time and success, too.”

–Field Level Media

Luka Modric’s season for AC Milan is over after he suffered a facial fracture against Juventus on Sunday, but the Croatian midfielder is aiming to be fit in time to play in the World Cup.

Modric collided with Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli while both were contesting a header in the 80th minute of what ended as a 0-0 draw. Modric was hit in the left side of the face and forced to leave the pitch.

Tests revealed a “complex, multi-fragment fracture of the left zygomatic bone,” according to a statement, with the club adding that Modric had already undergone “completely successful” surgery.

Modric, 40, will miss the final four games of AC Milan’s season as he is expected to be sidelined until late May. It is a setback for the club, with Milan third in the Serie A standings with 67 points, only three ahead of Juventus. Seven points over the final four games would ensure Milan’s spot in the Champions League.

Croatia’s opening World Cup match is against England on June 17, with their other Group L games against Panama and Ghana. However, it is uncertain whether Modric will be fit in time for friendlies against Belgium on June 2 and Slovenia five days later.

“I’ve been talking to Luka, and wished him a successful surgery and a quality and speedy recovery. I am convinced that he will do everything to be ready for the @FIFAWorldCup, and we’ll provide full support,” coach Zlatko Dalic said in a post by the Croatian federation on X. “I am confident that the recovery will go according to plan and that Luka, as team captain, will lead us at another major competition this summer.”

–Field Level Media

The Toronto Blue Jays placed veteran right-hander Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list with left ankle inflammation and right forearm tendinitis on Monday.

The 41-year-old has been one strikeout shy of a milestone 3,500 for the past nine days but couldn’t hit that mark in losses to the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 18 and the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

His outing against the Guardians garnered no strikeouts and drove his ERA to 9.64 after giving up seven earned runs on 82 pitches in 2 1/3 innings, though Scherzer said after the game, “I would not characterize this start as the fault of my forearm.”

Scherzer has reportedly been dealing with the forearm tendinitis since early April.

“The doctor said, ‘Hey, take five or seven days, let this all heal, and then ramp back up and you’ll see,” Scherzer said Monday. “‘Your body will tell you how fast you can ramp up.'”

It’s unclear who will fill in for Scherzer’s next scheduled start on Wednesday. Left-hander Eric Lauer had been expected to move to the bullpen when Trey Yesavage is activated for his season debut Tuesday against the visiting Boston Red Sox after starting the season on the IL with a right shoulder impingement. Lauer could be moved back to the starting rotation in light of Scherzer’s injuries.

Reliever Chase Lee was called up to fill the 26-man roster on Monday but another move will need to be made for Yesavage’s return.

Scherzer’s move to the IL is one in a long list for the Blue Jays this season, a group of more than a dozen players that also includes designated hitter George Springer (fractured left big toe); outfielders Addison Barger (sprained left ankle), Anthony Santander (torn labrum in left shoulder) and Nathan Lukes (hamstring strain); catcher Alejandro Kirk (fractured left thumb); starting pitchers Bowden Francis (elbow surgery), Jose Berrios (stress fracture in right elbow), Cody Ponce (torn ACL in right knee) and Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation); and right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia (elbow).

The Blue Jays sit in fourth place in the AL East with a 12-15 record. They open a three-game home series Monday against the Red Sox.

–Field Level Media