Oilers running out of time, must find 'another level as a group'

ANAHEIM -- The Edmonton Oilers are in a familiar position, sitting in a hole in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and needing a monumental effort to climb out.

A 4-3 overtime loss here to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday put Edmonton on the brink of the elimination, trailing 3-1 in the best-of-7 series. Game 5 will be at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, KCOP-13, TNT, truTV, Victory+, HBO MAX).

Just like they did last season in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings (down 2-0), as well as in the second round against the Vancouver Canucks in 2024 (down 3-2) -- and how they nearly pulled off a miracle comeback the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers that season (losing in seven after trailing 3-0) -- Edmonton will now have to battle back from behind if it wants to advance.

“We’re in a hole, no doubt about it,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “We have to find a way to get a win at home.”

The challenge might be tougher this season with the Oilers facing the young and upstart Ducks, who at times look too fast, too talented and too hungry to handle.

It doesn’t help that McDavid is not 100 percent, having rolled his ankle in Game 2, and Leon Draisaitl is four games into a return from a lower-body injury he sustained on March 15 that kept him out of the lineup for the final 14 games of the regular season.

“We’re all doing the best we can out there. We’re all working and trying to get it done,” McDavid said. “It’s not really about Connor McDavid here, it’s about two teams that are trying to figure each other out. They’re playing well and we have another level as a group. I still feel there were some good signs tonight.”

Even with a sore ankle, McDavid was still able to pick up two power-play assists in Game 4 to go along with the goal and assist he had in a 7-4 loss in Game 3. But he’s clearly not his usual dominant self, struggling with his lateral movement.

The Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL's scoring champion during the regular season did have an opportunity to put the Oilers up late in the third. Skating in on a 1-on-1 with Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke the only one back, McDavid displayed his patented burst of speed while cutting down and across the crease, only to be denied by the skate blade of goalie Lukas Dostal with 4:55 remaining.

Ryan Poehling went on to score the winner at 2:29 of overtime on a centering pass that deflected five-hole on Oilers goalie Tristan Jarry. The puck was determined to have crossed the goal line after a video review.

“I think everyone at this time of year, or most everyone, has got something, bumps, bruises, and certainly Connor will want to continue playing,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “And we’re going to need him and everyone to play their best.”

The Oilers believe they are at their best with their backs pressed firmly against the wall.

The journey back in the series will need to begin at home in Game 5, with Edmonton looking to build on some of the positives out of the overtime loss.

Jarry was solid in his first start since April 7, making 34 saves. The Oilers' power-play has also woken up with two goals in Game 4 (2-for-2) and three in the past two games (3-for-4) after being shutout in Games 1 and 2 (0-for-6).

Defensively Edmonton was better in Game 4 as well.

“There is a lot of belief within that room,” Knoblauch said. “They’ve been in some pretty poor situations, and this team never quits. They’re resilient and they have absolutely a lot of fight. That’s when we’ve seen the best of them, and we don’t have much more room for error right now.”

Going into the season, the Oilers had aspirations of getting to a third consecutive Stanley Cup Final, only this time finishing the job.

Yet it’s been a trying season, one that has continued into the playoffs. Prior to Game 1, it was expected the Oilers would lean on their savviness in the postseason to dispatch the Ducks, who have 13 skaters making their playoff debuts.

It hasn’t quite worked out that way, but the road to the Final the past two seasons was not always smooth either.

“Just look at last year, going down 2-0 against L.A. and coming back and winning four straight,” Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “This group has done it before. It’s not a position we want to be in, honestly, but here we are, and I have all the confidence in the world we can go home, win one game, and put them on their heels.”

Knoblauch is hoping the new weight of expectations on the Ducks, who haven't won a playoff series since 2017, proves to be a little too much on the young group.

As is well known, the fourth game often is the most difficult to win in a best-of-7 series.

“They’re obviously very excited to be in the playoffs not having been there for a while,” Knoblauch said. “They’re playing free and loose and there is very little pressure on them going into the playoffs. Obviously, this is a team that’s going to be here quite regularly in the future with the group of players they have, so hopefully now that they’re up in a series comfortably they feel a little bit of pressure.”