The incident occurred in the second period when Gudas delivered a high hit to Corey Perry’s head as the veteran winger was attempting to play a puck behind the Anaheim net. Perry was knocked down and needed to leave the ice for the locker room, but no penalty was called on Gudas. This sparked frustration among the Oilers, leading them to target Gudas for retribution. Darnell Nurse and Alex Jones were among those who followed Gudas around the ice, attempting to provoke him into a fight, but Gudas remained unresponsive.
“We had lots of opportunities to put the puck in the back of the net… That’s part of the game we gotta find a way to capitalize on the chances we have & we didn’t do that enough tonight.”
Darnell Nurse on the #Oilers loss to the Ducks. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/SM2BzjbFAo
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 8, 2025
Kulak expressed his frustration, stating that Gudas should have been willing to face the consequences of his actions. “I think (Gudas) just answers the bell. He knows what he did, and I know he got challenged out there by multiple guys,” Kulak said. He further added that players typically don’t chase others unless they’re willing to fight, and that it would have been appropriate for Gudas to take responsibility for his actions.
The game itself ended with a 5-3 victory for the Ducks. Cutter Gauthier scored two goals and Mason McTavish also found the back of the net for Anaheim. For Edmonton, Adam Henrique and Jeff Skinner scored, but they struggled to capitalize on their chances. Oliver Rodrigue made 18 saves in the loss for the Oilers, while Lukas Dostal stood tall with 47 saves for the Ducks.
Darnell Nurse also commented on the situation, acknowledging the physical play of his team and the choice Gudas had in responding to the hit. “I thought guys dug in and tried to get physical,” Nurse said. “Sometimes things happen out there. People can choose to answer or not, and I thought our response was pretty good.” Despite the loss, Nurse noted that the team had struggled in the absence of star players Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. However, the Oilers remain in third place in the Pacific Division with a 44-28-5 record.