Oilers find themselves in familiar spot entering Game 4 against Ducks

ANAHEIM -- Adversity in the Stanley Cup Playoffs seems to bring the best out of the Edmonton Oilers.  

That’s a good thing for Edmonton considering it is facing adversity again heading into Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round against the Anaheim Ducks here at Honda Center on Sunday (9:30 p.m. ET; Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN, CBC). 

“It feels like when our backs are against the wall is when we kind of shine,” Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard said Saturday. “It’s not a spot that’s a recipe for success, but it’s good to know that we have that pushback and we can get back in games and in series.”

The Oilers trail 2-1 in the best-of-7 series and are having trouble keeping the puck out of their net against the young, fast and talented Ducks. 

Edmonton lost 7-4 in Game 3 here Friday and is in danger of facing elimination when it returns home for Game 5 on Tuesday. 

“I think our group is just calm all the time and ready for each moment,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “We’ve faced adversity and been able to overcome it. We’ve been in good spots (in series) and also found ways to play good hockey too. For us, it’s a big game and important game tomorrow, and we have to be ready to answer.”

Last season, the Oilers lost the first two games of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings and battled back to win in six.

In 2024, Edmonton fell behind 2-1 and then 3-2 in the second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks and battled back to win in seven. 

In the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton lost the first three games of the series against the Florida Panthers before storming back to force a Game 7, only to lose it 2-1. 

“I think we just need to focus on what we did well these first three games and clean up things defensively and I think we’ll be fine,” Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin said. “The guys have been there multiple times and we know what to do. Obviously, tomorrow is a huge game for us.”

Edmonton’s success getting to the Stanley Cup Final the previous two seasons came from playing a strong defensive game.

So far, the Oilers have conceded 16 goals to the Ducks in a series that has seen the teams trade chances. 

While entertaining, it’s not the way Edmonton wanted to play against Anaheim. 

“We can’t let them have free ice and let them control the puck too much,” Podkolzin said. “Obviously they’re a skilled team and they want to play with the puck, that’s why we should play simple, we should play strong, and we should play fast.”

Taking care of the puck has been an issue through the first three games in general and in Game 3 in particular. 

A pair of offensive-zone turnovers in the third period allowed Anaheim to score on two, 2-on-1 rushes, 42 seconds apart.

The two goals gave the Ducks a 5-3 lead and the Oilers were unable to battle back, despite cutting the deficit to 5-4 on a power-play goal from forward Connor McDavid with 11:24 left to play.

McDavid is playing on a sore ankle he rolled in Game 2 and did not practice Saturday but will be in the lineup for Game 4. Forward Jason Dickinson will be a game-time decision after missing the past two games with a lower-body injury.

“We just have to play better defensively,” Nurse said. “We have to limit their chances to the outside. They have a lot of speed and a lot of skill and they’re a good team over there. For us it’s about doing what we can to check them.” 

Limiting turnovers will help in that regard.

The Oilers have been guilty at times of trying to make the perfect play, which has gotten them in trouble in the past. 

Bouchard passed up a shooting opportunity on Anaheim’s fourth goal. He attempted to thread a pass in the slot to McDavid that was knocked away and started the odd-man rush leading to a goal from Ducks rookie forward Beckett Sennecke. 

A second turnover by Bouchard on the same shift led to a goal by Leo Carlsson on another odd-man rush. 

“We have to just manage the puck better,” Bouchard said. “They’re scoring a lot of goals, and we have to play a 1-0, 2-1, 2-0 kind of game. We know we can score, we know they can score and it’s a matter of keeping the puck out of our net.”

Bouchard, who led all NHL defensemen with 95 points (21 goals, 74 assists) in 82 games this season admitted sometimes the simpler play is the better option. 

“That’s exactly it, we’re trying to make too many fancy plays, myself especially,” he said. “We just have to simplify things to start, put pucks to the net, get them in deep, don’t try to complicate things right now. 

“I think it’s simplifying things for now. We’re trying to make that one extra pass and they’re doing a good job defending it. We got to change things up, put it to the net and get rebounds. When we’ve done that, it’s worked for us, and when we try to make the extra play, it tends to backfire.”