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2 Oilers most to blame for 1st-round loss to Ducks
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- 2 Oilers most to blame for 1st-round loss to Ducks
2 Oilers most to blame for 1st-round loss to Ducks appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Edmonton Oilers expected to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for a third consecutive season. Not only were they supposed to get to the championship round, it was their turn to win it. After getting their hearts broken the last two years by the Florida Panthers and watching that team skate around the ice with the iconic trophy, it was the Oilers’ turn.
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That was the thought when the Oilers prepared for the start of the 2025-26 season in training camp and again when the season got underway. That idea quickly became a pipe dream for those who looked at the team realistically. Playing in the less-than-impressive Pacific Division of the Western Conference, the Oilers never asserted themselves the way a team with Connor McDavid , Leon Draisaitl and defenseman Evan Bouchard expected to play the game.
The Oilers were touch and go to even make the playoffs throughout much of the season and they ended up with a second-place finish to the Vegas Golden Knights . They faced the upstart Anaheim Ducks , a team with speed, youth and a veteran coach in Joel Quenneville, and the Oilers promptly found themselves knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.
The six-game defeat was likely an indication of an organizational weakness, meaning that general manager Stan Bowman and head coach Kris Knoblauch were largely responsible for the frustrating season. The team was disappointing in their brief playoff appearance, so management has to know that the team was just not good enough this season.
Connor McDavid was not at his best, and health was an issue
The playoff performance against Anaheim saw many of the team’s featured players fall short of expectations. That includes Connor McDavid, who is still the best all-around player in the game. He was not at his best against the Ducks, and he wasn’t even close to it.
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The prolific scorer and the NHL’s best skater was held to one goal and six assists in the series, and he registered a minus-8 rating. It was clear throughout the series that McDavid was not winning the skating or puck battles that he normally dominates. There were enough instances during the series where McDavid flashed enough ability that the team was better off with him on the ice than taking the extreme step of trying to compete without him.
After the series ended with the Ducks winning the series in six games, the Oilers revealed that McDavid played the series with a fracture to his foot and ankle area.
McDavid started the series with the injury and it worsened after a collision with Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm in the second game. His speed and ability to get to the pucks were clearly impacted by his injury. “It was more like change of direction,” McDavid said, per The Athletic . “Changing of direction was tough. Stops and starts, tough. I’m fast, but my advantage is my speed bursts, that quick step, and I had none of that.”
A healthy McDavid might have been able to carry the Oilers past the Ducks and deep into the playoffs. However, he was struggling badly and the Oilers could not get past a younger, faster and more opportunistic team.
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Bouchard let the team down with his defensive play
Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
The Oilers had multiple weaknesses throughout the season, and those issues were magnified during the series against the Ducks. Evan Bouchard is supposed to be a difference maker for the team on the blue line, and he clearly has one of the most dangerous shots of any defenseman in the league.
However, when it comes to the basics of defense, Bouchard rarely has the correct spacing and regularly leaves gaps that opponents are able to take advantage of and create scoring opportunities. Bouchard scored one goal and six assists against the Ducks, but he finished with a minus-7 rating.
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The Ducks knew they could create opportunities nearly every time Bouchard stepped on the ice. He was looking for chances to unleash his wicked shot or set up his teammates for excellent scoring chances. It was as if he forgot his main responsibility is to prevent opponents from scoring — and that’s unacceptable.
Goaltending was never elite this season and there was no reason to think that it would get any better during the playoffs. The Ducks scored five or more goals in three of their victories in the series and four in the other win.
Connor Ingram was in goal for five of the games and he had a 3.86 goals against average and an unacceptable .876 save percentage. Tristan Jarry played the other game, and he was the losing goalie in the Game 4, 4-3 overtime loss. Jarry was acquired by the Oilers in a midseason trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for goalie Stuart Skinner , and Edmonton clearly got the worst of it.
The Oilers rarely played to their capabilities this season and changes must be made in the offseason to get this team back on track.
Related: 2 early Oilers trade targets after 1st-round loss to Ducks
Related: 2 early Oilers trade candidates after 1st-round loss to Ducks
