The Oilers will miss the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season after losing 3-1 to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night.

Taylor Hall scored for the Oilers (17-20-7), who have lost seven of their last eight games and were officially eliminated from the playoffs for yet another season. The string of futility stretches back to their loss in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final against the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

“To have another season where we’re out of the playoffs, another season where we’re playing meaningless games at the end of the year, is very frustrating,” Hall said. “It’s something we’re not proud of.”

Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff, who has been with the team for the entire seven years, said it hasn’t been an easy process.

“It’s tough, it’s been extremely tough on me,” he said. “We made some steps and at least this year we got some meaningful games in, gave ourselves a chance to get in, but it fell off as of late.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction. It’s just a little slower than we’d like.”

It was a badly-needed victory for the Ducks (28-11-6), who got goals from Cam Fowler, Kyle Palmieri and Corey Perry to help the team snap a four-game losing skid and move closer to clinching the Pacific Division crown.

“It was a step closer to where we want to be,” said Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf. “There are still mistakes that we need to eliminate going into the playoffs, but this was a much-needed win tonight and one that I felt we deserved. It’s all about playing the right way going into the playoffs. This was a step in the right direction.”

The Ducks can clinch the division with another win over the Oilers in the rematch in Edmonton on Monday.

“It’s great to have a win again after what has been happening for the last little while,” said Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller, who stopped 27 shots. “We knew that we needed to play better, but sometimes it is not that easy. Tonight I think that everybody worked a little harder and that made the difference.”

Edmonton had a quick start, scoring exactly one minute in when Hall notched his 15th of the season as he came in off the boards to beat Ducks starter Jonas Hiller between the legs with a wrist shot from the right face-off dot.

The Ducks evened it up with just 1.1 seconds remaining in the period as Oilers center Jerred Smithson broke his stick on the faceoff and Fowler was able to pick up a rebound and bank in his first of the year off goalie Devan Dubnyk’s pads.

Anaheim took a 2-1 lead with just under a minute to play in the second period when Palmieri tried to get a pass through to Teemu Selanne on a 2-on-1, but the pass was blocked by a diving Ladislav Smid. However, Palmieri was able to dig the puck out from under Smid and deposit his 10th of the year behind Dubnyk.

The Ducks went up 3-1 midway through the third when Ryan Getzlaf made a great move to walk around Smid and then sent a backhand pass in front for Perry, who had an easy tap-in for the goal.

The Ducks hit the post twice with Dubnyk pulled for the final two minutes.

Game notes

It was the second of three meetings between the two teams this season. Anaheim came in as the winners of their last nine in Edmonton and 12 of the last 14 meetings overall. … The Oilers announced Sunday that 2011 first overall draft pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is out for the remainder of the season as he likely requires shoulder surgery. … Edmonton Fs Ales Hemsky (foot), Eric Belanger (groin) and Lennart Petrell (leg) are also probably done for the year. … Anaheim was missing Luca Sbisa (upper body) and D Sheldon Souray (lower body).

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When that opportunity arrived late in the third period Wednesday night, Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne absolutely nailed it.

Getzlaf set up Bobby Ryan’s tying goal and Selanne’s tiebreaker 1:04 apart in the waning minutes, and the Ducks rallied for a 4-2 victory over Chicago in a meeting of the NHL’s top two teams.

Jonas Hiller stopped 22 shots, and Peter Holland and Sheldon Souray scored as the Ducks extended their franchise-record home winning streak to 13 games in dramatic fashion. Anaheim (22-3-4) pulled within three points of Chicago atop the overall NHL standings by dealing the Blackhawks just their third regulation loss of the season.

“It means a lot,” said Ryan, who scored his ninth goal of the season. “They’ve made a statement to run away with it so far, and we’ve quietly just gone about our business. To be three points back with a game in hand is huge. … It’s been a fun ride to be a part of, and I hope it continues.”

Getzlaf could barely get out of bed with a case of the flu, lasting just five minutes at the morning skate and taking only one faceoff during the game. The Anaheim captain still delivered two remarkable assists in pressure-packed moments to hand Chicago its third regulation loss in six games after its 21-0-3 start to the season.

“He’s playing an MVP season right now, and it’s fun to watch,” Selanne said.

Getzlaf first fed Ryan on a rush for the tying goal with 5:27 to play before setting up the 42-year-old Selanne for his 670th career goal with 4:23 left, ending the Finnish Flash’s nine-game goal drought. Souray added an empty-net goal in the final minute for Anaheim, which has earned points in 12 straight games (9-0-3).

“We don’t expect to come back, but we always think we can,” Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We’ve got great leadership. Everybody knows their role, and everybody played it.”

Nick Leddy scored a power-play goal and captain Jonathan Toews scored an early short-handed goal for the Blackhawks (24-3-3), who have lost after entering the third period with a lead just twice in 19 games this season — both times to the Ducks.

The largest crowd in Honda Center history was packed with boisterous fans of both teams for a prominent game in this lockout-shortened year. Two clubs with a points percentage above .800 had never met this late in an NHL season, and they lived up to their pedigrees in a fast-paced game showcasing their skill and tenacity.

“They obviously have the advantage right now because they’ve got four points (in their two meetings) and we’ve got one, so I’m sure they’re feeling pretty good,” Chicago’s Patrick Kane said. “But hopefully we can learn from these games and move forward and become a better team because of it. We’ve made a couple of mental mistakes lately that have cost us.”

Corey Crawford made 22 saves for the Blackhawks, who appeared to be headed for a 2-1 road victory until Anaheim scored three times in stunning style.

Chicago has earned 51 of a possible 60 points in its first 30 games this season, but Anaheim is responsible for a third of those missed points after this win and a 3-2 shootout victory at the United Center last month. The Ducks and Blackhawks finish their regular-season series March 29 in Chicago.

“They’ve been having a great season, but they’ve just been under the radar because of our streak and the way we’ve been playing,” Kane said. “But they’re a great team, and we’re going to be ready for them next time.”

Both teams played this showdown without key offensive components. Ducks right wing Corey Perry finished his four-game suspension for an illegal hit, while Chicago’s Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp sat out with injuries.

After Leddy put the Blackhawks ahead on his 22nd birthday during a power play midway through the second period, Chicago appeared to extend its lead when Brandon Bollig scored in front of Hiller with 14:03 to play. Instead, video review confirmed Bollig kicked the puck into the net with his right skate.

“It’s frustrating, considering we thought we were looking at a 3-1 lead at one point,” Toews said. “We have to keep working and doing the right things. We played good enough to win, but made a few mistakes in the last five minutes, and they made us pay for it.”

Anaheim finally broke through when Getzlaf brought the puck down the wing and fed it in front to Ryan, who banged it through Kyle Palmieri’s screen for his ninth goal. Moments later, Selanne scored on a slick shot in close.

Game notes

Anaheim’s Andrew Cogliano skated off with a bloody mouth after the faceoff following Selanne’s goal when Bollig clipped him with a high stick. Bollig wasn’t called for a penalty on the play. Cogliano sustained significant damage to his teeth — but didn’t miss a shift. … The goal was Leddy’s fourth of the season after getting just three in 82 games last year. … Longtime Blackhawks fan Vince Vaughn and Orange County native Matt Barkley attended the game, both wearing jerseys.

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Fasth earned a new contract after just nine unbeaten appearances with the Pacific Division-leading Ducks, who have the NHL’s second-best record at 12-2-1. He’ll make $2.4 million next season and $3.4 million in 2014-15.

“You always try to do your best and play your best, try to help the team as much as you can,” Fasth said in a phone interview. “That’s what I’ve been trying to focus on, and that’s what I have to keep doing, to do my part.”

The Ducks signed the 30-year-old Fasth to be Jonas Hiller’s backup last summer after a stellar pro career in his native Sweden, outbidding other NHL teams with a $1 million, one-year contract.

With Hiller slowed by a lower-body injury, Fasth has been largely outstanding in his place, making nine appearances with a 1.78 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage while tying for the league lead in victories.

“It feels great,” Fasth told ESPN.com. “I really like it here — the organization and the team and everything — so it feels great.”

Fasth is just the third goalie in NHL history to win his first eight decisions, joining Ray Emery and Bob Froese. He’s one win away from matching Emery’s record 9-0-0 start to his career with Ottawa.

He’s also playing a major role in the outstanding start by the Ducks, who have missed the playoffs in two of the last three years. Anaheim, currently on a five-day break between games, has won five straight while rising to second place in the Western Conference behind Chicago.

“Viktor has proven himself not only this year in the NHL, but the previous two seasons as the top goaltender in Sweden,” Ducks general manager Bob Murray said. “We are pleased to be able to keep him and feel fortunate to have two top NHL goaltenders going forward.”

Anaheim relied heavily last season on Hiller, who set a club record with an NHL-high 73 starts. The Ducks were determined not to wear down their former All-Star from Switzerland, and Fasth has provided coach Bruce Boudreau with two outstanding options.

Fasth won a shootout against Nashville in his NHL debut on Jan. 26, and he posted his first shutout at Colorado on Feb. 6.

Hiller outplayed longtime Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere to claim the Anaheim starting job during the 2008-09 season, but Hiller hasn’t lost his own starting job to Fasth quite yet. Hiller made 25 saves against Columbus on Monday night for his first victory in 18 days.

When asked if he considered himself the Ducks’ starter, Fasth replied: “No, I don’t.”

“Jonas played against Columbus and played incredibly good,” he added. “I just try to work hard, and I’ll play when the coach tells me to play. That’s how things work.”

Hiller is under contract through 2013-14, making $4.5 million this season and again next year.

Fasth has thoroughly impressed the Ducks with his smooth positional play and exceptional stick work, but the veteran netminder was expected to be a solid NHL player. He was named the Swedish Elite League’s top goaltender in each of the past two seasons with AIK Stockholm, the first goalie to win back-to-back Honken Trophies since New York Rangers star Henrik Lundqvist.

Fasth also played at the 2011 world championships in Slovakia, backstopping Sweden to silver medals while winning the tournament MVP award and raising his profile among international hockey watchers.

“The national team is a window for every player to get the ice under you,” Fasth said. “The Swedish Elite League, I don’t know if there’s many scouts watching that, but of course it helps to play for the national team and play good there.”

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Vancouver at Anaheim
When: 10:00 PM ET, Friday, January 25, 2013
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Prediction: Canucks 4, Ducks 1

Daniel Sedin leads all Vancouver players with four points (three on the power play). Henrik Sedin has two assists and is plus-2. Alexander Edler leads the team’s defensemen with two goals and three points, and leads the club with 12 shots. Roberto Luongo made 30 saves in Vancouver’s 3-2 shootout loss to Edmonton on Sunday after stopping 10 of 12 against Anaheim. Alex Burrows has 10 shots on goal but hasn’t recorded a point and is minus-1.

Goaltender Jonas Hiller has both wins this season despite allowing seven goals in his first two starts. Captain Ryan Getzlaf has four points and Corey Perry has three, but Bobby Ryan has yet to record a point and has one shot on goal. Kyle Palmieri, who has a goal and an assist, leads the Ducks with eight shots. Sheldon Souray leads Anaheim defensemen with three points and is plus-3. Penalty killing is the Ducks’ biggest weakness so far this season, with four goals allowed on seven opportunities.

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