What we learned from the Ducks’ 2-1 overtime victory over the Oilers

If there is an exclamation point to the Ducks’ second-half push, Rickard Rakell essentially provided it Friday. His eye-popping overtime goal capped a 2-1 win against Edmonton and kept the Ducks humming along with their seventh straight win, the longest active streak in the NHL.

Here’s what we learned:

The Ducks can do the daily grind. They have been able to adapt to playing a low-scoring game lately as their past two wins have been by scores of 1-0 and 2-1. Both have been against teams out of the playoff picture, but Buffalo and Edmonton stubbornly gave them close games.

It might be this way down the stretch, no matter who they play.

“You gain confidence by it and you always feel you’re going to win,” Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said. “At the beginning of the season, when we got shut out so many times, and we would be tied in the third period -- whether it would be 1-1 or 0-0 -- we didn’t think we were going to score another goal. It was a little different mind-set.”

Ryan Garbutt had one of his better games as a Duck. He helped the fourth line get sustained time in Edmonton’s zone and was disruptive for much of the night. Garbutt even had a quality scoring chance off a long pass from Ryan Getzlaf, but the puck appeared to be on its edge and he couldn’t get a proper shot.

Boudreau took note and said he tried to get Garbutt more ice time in the game.

Garbutt, acquired from Chicago in January, is 25-1-1 in his past 27 games with the Blackhawks and Ducks.

Ryan Kesler has his plate full this week. Kesler was matched up against the top two picks in last year’s draft the past two games and held Jack Eichel (No. 2) of Buffalo and Connor McDavid (No. 1) of Edmonton scoreless. Next up? Anze Kopitar of the Kings on Sunday.

Follow Curtis Zupke on Twitter @CurtisZupke