In the long history of a pro sports franchise, there are relatively few major turns. The Edmonton Oilers have enjoyed heaven and hell since 1972, and the list of breaking news stories is relatively short. Please read this.
There are 10 distinct chapters: Bill Hunter secored WHA franchise, Peter Pocklington purchases Wayne Gretzky’s playing rights and gains entry into NHL without surrendering 99; the 1979-81 drafts under Barry Fraser; the glory 80’s Oilers under the guidance of Glen Sather; the long Sather-Pocklington coda; 38 investors save the Oilers by buying the team in 1998; the post-Sather malaise; the McDavid lottery win; the McDavid-Draisaitl era.
The next chapter is glory or misery, pretty sure.
GAME 4
Based on the Oilers performance in the first three games of the series, you can make a strong case the current state of Oilers-Ducks (Anaheim up two games to one) has more to do with Edmonton performing poorly than anything else.
Lack of care with the puck, a return to those damnable stretch passes and coaching decisions that make it easier for the opponent are all part of the package. We are hearing Tristan Jarry could play in Game 4, I’m not sure Connor Ingram is a big enough cause of misery to replace but sure let’s try that and see how it goes.
There are some unusual numbers in this series. Kasperi Kapanen is 5-0 goals at five-on-five. Vasily Podkolzin is 6-2, Leon Draisaitl 6-4. Draisaitl is 6-2 away from Connor McDavid, 0-2 with the captain. I don’t recall a time when the coach pulled the ‘make magic’ switch and the Glimmer Twins looked less effective together, but its a small sample size.
There are media personalities suggesting that McDavid isn’t hurt, or that Oilers fans are making up the injury, but my goodness anyone with eyes can see 97 isn’t at his best. His max speed in a single shift during the regular season came October 8 (39.61 kph) against Calgary Flames. His fastest shift in this playoffs in terms of max speed was 36.99 kph on Aoril 22 against Anaheim. He’s still a rocket, but there’s some downbeat in those numbers. He’s also trying to do too much, and I don’t think McDavid is wired to do too little. So we are here.
Fans cheer for laundry. There’s a certain helplessness about that today. This roster has some issues, the coach who found the formula in the last two years can’t find anything that rhymes, the structure of the final 11 games of the regular season has given way to indifference and chaos. I would say no team can turn on a dime, but this blasted bunch do it all the time. We will never pass this way again, change is in the air. Embrace the day, live the moment, even though it may not land in your favour. The most alive we’ll ever be is in the moments that bring great joy and great pain. This is us. Today.
What an early playoff exit could mean for the Edmonton Oilers
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7228930/2026/04/26/edmonton-oilers-playoffs-offseason-2026/
I won’t love a Jarry start, if it happens, but truth be told, in order for the Oilers to have sustained playoff success, they need to play a game where they limit chaos and rush chances and there is a predictability to the shots against and either goalie can and will succeed.
You know, the type of game they played for most of the last 10 or so games of the season.
McDavid is clearly hurt. Sure, he can hit straight out top speed but when was the last time you saw a cut back? His edges are what separates him from the mortals and those seem to be gone for now.
With that said, even limited in that area, McDavid should still be able to be a superstar level player and impact the game positively in a material manner.
Instead of trying more solo shit, use your high end hockey IQ and puck skills more and, without any excuse, commit to smart hockey, backtrack and responsible play.
Let’s Go!
Lock it in and come back home with a best of 3 and home ice.
Ducks got their split and now the Oilers are to get their split tonight.
I think Dickinson plays and helps the depth and the responsibility of the lineup. Time for the top players to outplay the opposition’s top players.
Let’s Go!
Tonight is a pivotal game for the Oilers if they managed to win I do believe they will continue to play a better style of hockey and take the series if they lose to
Anaheim the ducks will go on to win the series maybe even in five or six games we need to see a much better defensive effort ….sit back and wait for opportunities to take to the offence ….this has not been happening so far…. the Oilers do know how to play such a game but for whatever reason are getting caught up in Anaheim‘s run and gun style of playing ….looking forward to the game go Oilers
Man LT you’re an absolute wordsmith.
Let’s go Oilers.
I think the Jarry in goal story is media-manufactured and KK doesn’t mind giving Anaheim a few extra scouting reports to check off, so he’s staying mum.
But if he chooses to give Jarry the net, in Anaheim, against one of the most explosive offenses in the league, down in the series? That would be the obvious sign that he needs to be replaced.
Im not cheering for losses but this team needs a long summer for a few reasons:
Like I said, I will always cheer for my team to win but I can’t see this team making it out of the West so if they lose to Anaheim, there may be a silver lining outlined above..
How many teams would win a series with their top 4 centres injured?
This will be a very tough series to win. Not impossible for the high drama Oilers, but very challenging.
What I don’t understand re: McDavid injury is that during and after Game 1 people were saying McDavid is hurt, doesn’t look right. His foot got caught under Ekholm in Game 2, no?
I think he has more than one injury. Could be wrong. His stickhandling seems off, and his skating is provably less than peak McDavid.
McDavid didn’t look injured at the end of the regular season did he? He had 4 assists against the Nucks and the lone Oiler goal against the Avs while leading the Oilers in TOI both games.
He does take a beating every game. More so than any other player in the game. How couldn’t he have some aches and pains.
He sayed himself that he rolled over on his ankle. So he may have a sprain or something of the sort , not enough to keep him out during the playoffs.
That was during game 2. My post was clearly about comments stemming from game 1.
I hoped this year the team would look more mature and professional in the playoffs. A 2-0 lead would have been great and we’d be talking about this game a lot differently.
But let’s be real- this is a team that seems to like some pressure, they like their backs against the wall. Last year they nearly lost to LA before turning it on. They’ve lost countless G1s during this stretch. Maybe this is just who they are as a team. They can’t seem to put it together until they’ve put themselves in a poor spot.
Not fun as a fan but I’m hoping for a better effort tonight. Your backs have hit that wall, Oilers- let’s see your best.
To my eye they don’t look like a well coached team, Connor is overthinking the game and not letting it come to him. He’s clearly ‘off’ and obviously not 100%. If they start Jarry, they’ll get blown out playing the way the have so far with such a porous defense. Where is the tighter defense from the last few games of the regular season???
I think they should stick with Ingram he’s their best option. The team needs to do a better job in front of him. It’s just they need to be reminded over and over again. I’m not sure how they still have to be reminded???
I always going to cheer for this team and laud those who feel the same. I’m ever hopeful for a change in play tonight & for the team to recognize its overwhelming capability against the Ducks.
GOilers!
I believe we’re going to see a gargantuan effort tonight from the Oil tonight.
I get what you’re saying but what I want to see is them as a team engage their brains. For me they don’t need to try harder, they need to play smarter. Trying too hard leads them to bad things
This is the way
Seeing is better than being blind, even when seeing hurts ~Abraham Maslow
From what I’m seeing is, and as I believe what LT alluded to in “change is in the air” is the young speed teams (Habs, Mammoth) are taking it to the old school veteran teams, including the Ducks.
We need to slow them down without taking penalties. Sticks Up and hit like a truck!
Go Oilers!
The Oil are the 7th youngest team. Core players are older but many on this team are getting their first crack. Connor Murphy technically included.
If you’ve watched the Mammoth and Knights, you’ll see Hart being terrible. Last win they had 14 shots. The Habs are fun but it’s almost all powerplay.
They’re fun and they’re coming, but I don’t think any have the chops yet. Habs would be my bet. Their captain and best scorer have been to a final…
Not knocking Brantford, but playoffs breed narratives every year. Last year it was “play like the Panthers” (who were not young at all) while this year it is a bunch of Cinderellas potentially knocking off established teams (Philly, Mtl, Utah, Sabres) but ignores the Avs, Stars, Wild, Canes. I dunno, it is easier to try to understand complex stuff by looking for a trend.
I do agree that the Pacific will be changed by the emergence of the Ducks and Sharks, while the Canucks, Kings, Flames and Vegas seem to be regressing. I don’t put the Oilers in the regress category, since the emergence of the secondary players signed from Europe and elsewhere are providing depth which will benefit them next year and beyond. Solving the goalie thing is the perennial problem.
Im not a well versed person on hockey systems, but im definitely seeing a lot of similarities between the way ANA are playing against us vs FLAs. Its a superficial observation obviously focused on the forecheck and layered pressure and the type of goals they are getting.
Has Q copied the florida template?
It’s not just the Ducks that have used the Florida blueprint against the Oilers.
I am no systems expert, but I think Florida just continued with Coach Q’s system after he left.
Bruce Curlock’s pre series piece on Ducks tactics v Oilers weaknesses makes the point. It’s a good, sobering read. Nothing earth-shattering. MacT made the point during one of the low points of the season: D need more F support. When that happens (Nov 26-Dec 25; last 11 games of the season), Oilers suppress GA, and they win more often than not. The evidence suggests the Capt’s default wiring is a factor. His play sets the tone.
ps. One of the possible outcomes of an early end to the season, a possibility not mentioned by LT in his Athletic piece, is that the Capt. gets his wiring attended to, has an “Yzerman moment.” He is a smart player. It could happen anytime. But until it happens, he may be the thing standing in the way of his own Cup success.
This is spot on. Our play in the O-zone is leading to odd-man rushes the other way. We’re not getting back. Attacking out of a 2 low/3 high cuts down on the number of odd man rushes
And we’re also seeing what happens when we rely too heavily on stretch passes. Teams read that and it makes us look slower because we struggle to break out.
Weak coaching with no foresight towards the teams that will give them trouble has burned us before. When the Avs swept them, the coaches had allowed Smith to become so central to the breakout it was easy to hem the Oilers in. They picked off pass after pass
Yes those Avs were a wagon, doesn’t mean you need to go out with a whimper. Agreed about the 2-3 in the O zone – which this coach did before against the Knights says Curlock, to limit the counter attack that’s killing them now. Seems like a no brainer to me. To my way of thinking they way to beat teams that trap in the N zone and overload in the other zones is close puck support
Dump and chase for O zone entries as in like it’s always been against a stacked blue line. Win the puck and get it past the overload to the open weak side, weak side D activating, all of the same things they were supposed to do to the panthers (Curlock’s analysis last year) and didn’t or couldn’t
Every tactic leaves something to use to your advantage, it just has to be recognized and executed. Like overloading the guy with the puck leaves a lot of open ice, he just has to get that puck through it to close support, and that guy needs support to get it going on attack. Stretch passes technically are a counter, it seems though that most get picked off, it’s not hard to anticipate or whatever
Not having been able to do this is why high puck pressure causes them so much trouble. At times this series when they break out as a group they were able to skate and pass through the N zone
— Oil need to go 3-1 or win next 3
– Anaheim has a lot more outs.
— Its just math and math not looking good
— LFGOILERS!!!
Even worse math:
How many teams have made three finals in a row? How many have won a Cup in the third appearance after losing the first two times?
Always time to do something new in the NHL.
Injuries are such a big part of all these stories. That’s the ‘luck’ factor. Florida when they made their first final were a shell of themselves. The next 2 years nobody on their dcore got hurt. This year they bottomed out with injuries.
4 centres are ailing or out. That’s pretty unlucky.
I’ve seen them do that sort of thing before. It wouldn’t surprise me if they win the next three games and take the Ducks in six games. If they lose tonight then they’ll have no other choice.