Done in by deficient defence, Edmonton Oilers ousted early from NHL playoffs

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid wipes his visor as members of the Anaheim Ducks celebrate after they were defeated in Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

ANAHEIM — The Edmonton Oilers, exiting the playoffs early this season after two marathon runs to the Stanley Cup final, were a dented and depleted team.

The Oilers wilted under the fast and hungry Anaheim Ducks in a 5-2 loss in Thursday’s Game 6 that ended Edmonton’s season in the first round.

Edmonton was outclassed and outworked by a Ducks team that won its first playoff series since 2017, which happened to be over the Oilers as well.

The 2026 edition of the Ducks included a dozen players under the age of 25, and 14 who made their NHL playoff debuts in the series.

The Oilers fell to the Florida Panthers in each of the last two Cup finals in series that lasted seven and six games, respectively.

Some Oilers hinted at the beginning of this year’s playoffs that the regular season felt like a chore at times, and that they were relieved to start the post-season again with a view to finishing the job and hoisting the Cup.

But they didn’t get close.

“We’ve been searching for consistency all year and we didn’t find it here in the playoffs,” said captain Connor McDavid.

“It’s tough. We were an average team all year. An average team with high expectations, you’re going to be disappointed.”

McDavid’s ankle, Leon Draisaitl’s knee, Jason Dickinson’s lower-body injury, and penalty-kill specialist Adam Henrique’s undisclosed series-ending injury in Game 1 weakened Edmonton up the middle.

McDavid, who led the NHL in post-season points three of the last four seasons, was hampered by a rolled ankle in the second period of Game 2. Draisaitl missed the last 14 games of the regular season with a knee injury.

McDavid and Draisaitl spent the last two games of the series as linemates instead of centring separate lines. They battled, but weren’t able to will their team into a higher gear Thursday.

“Too hurt too soon,” McDavid said. ”The first round is always tough. It’s always chaotic. It’s tough to play through things so early on, as many guys did in here.

“Credit to our staff for making guys available and making sure they were as comfortable as possible. That being said it’s not an excuse either. We expected to have a longer run than we did.”

Draisaitl had three goals and seven assists in six games. McDavid, who was held off the scoresheet with the first two games of the series, finished with a goal and five assists.

Defence was Edmonton’s downfall in allowing 26 goals in six games. The penalty kill gave up eight goals on Anaheim’s 15 chances.

Edmonton’s power play started 0-for-6 in the first two games before finishing 4-for-14.

“We struggled on the PK all year too. We’ve been searching for consistency there too,” McDavid said. “The power-play could have been better to start the series.”

Edmonton’s offence compensated for a bottom-tier ranking in the NHL in allowed goals-against in the regular season. A leaky defence was magnified in the playoffs.

Edmonton scored the first goal in the first five games, yet won just two of them.

“Pretty much the story for most of the year. We just didn’t defend well enough,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch.

“You usually win or lose on your defensive play. It wasn’t good enough.”

The Ducks had puck luck early on a deflection off a body and off a stick on two of their first three goals Thursday.

Edmonton failed to exploit Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal fighting the puck and giving up rebounds in the first period when the Oilers had nine shots that missed the net.

Down 3-1 after the first period, the Oilers had time to work their way back into the game. The Ducks gave no quarter, however. They turned a neutral-zone turnover by Evan Bouchard into an odd-man rush and a 4-1 lead before the end of the second period.

“As much as it hurts, I think they’re just a better team,” Draisaitl said.

How much wear and tear of two long seasons factored into Edmonton’s earliest playoff exit in five years, there was little tolerance for that theory post-game.

“It’s not an excuse,” said forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “We just didn’t get the job done.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 1, 2026.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press