Oilers done in by injuries to McDavid, Draisaitl in 1st-round loss to Ducks

ANAHEIM -- The Edmonton Oilers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round at Honda Center on Thursday. 

The Oilers (41-30-11) finished second in the Pacific Division and were hoping to get back to the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season. 

Edmonton won the opening game of the series before losing the next three to Anaheim, which was playing its first playoff series since 2018.

The Oilers got a 4-1 win in Game 5 at home but saw their season end in Game 6. This is Edmonton’s earliest playoff exit since it was swept by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round in 2021.  

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Adam Henrique, F; Jason Dickinson, F; Jack Roslovic, F; Kasperi Kapanen, F; Max Jones, F; Curtis Lazar, F; Connor Murphy, D; Connor Ingram, G. 

Potential restricted free agents: Owen Michaels, F; Colton Dach, F; Spencer Stastney, D. 

Potential 2026 Draft picks: 4

Here are five reasons the Oilers were eliminated:

1. Injuries: Each of Edmonton’s star forwards, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, were not at 100 percent in the series. Draisaitl returned for Game 1 of the playoffs after missing the final 14 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury sustained in a 3-1 win against the Nashville Predators on March 15. McDavid sustained an ankle injury in Game 2 of the first round when he got tangled up with teammate Mattias Ekholm and Ducks forward Ian Moore at 3:57 of the second period. Forward Jason Dickinson was also not at 100 percent after blocking a shot in a 5-2 win at the San Jose Sharks on April 8 and missing the final three games of the regular season. Dickinson scored two goals in a 4-3 win in Game 1, but missed Game 2 and 3, before returning for the final three games of the series with limited mobility. 

2. Defensive lapses: Defense had been an issue for the Oilers throughout the regular season, and their deficiencies were exposed by the young, fast, and talented Ducks. Edmonton was careless with the puck at times, creating odd-man rushes for Anaheim, which it capitalized on numerous times throughout the series. The Oilers also struggled to win battles in front of the net, which cost them in a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 4. The defensive struggles kept Edmonton from being able to hold leads in three of its four losses. The Oilers scored first in five of the six games of the series.

3. Playoff grind: The Oilers have been in more playoff games (81) than any other team since 2022 and the grind may have taken a toll on their core players. The Oilers went to the Stanley Cup Final in the previous two seasons, losing to the Florida Panthers each time. Edmonton has also played in three of the past four Western Conference Finals and was eliminated by the team that went on to win the Stanley Cup for four consecutive seasons prior to being eliminated by Anaheim. Edmonton was not able to match Anaheim’s energy in the series for extended periods. 

4. Special teams: The penalty kill struggled with Dickinson not at 100 percent and forward Adam Henrique lost for the rest of the series when he sustained a lower-body injury in Game 1. Dickinson and Henrique were key components of the Oilers penalty kill. Anaheim was 8-for-16 on the power play (50 percent) and scored at least one power-play goal in each game of the series. Conversely, Edmonton did not have a power-play goal in three of the six games and finished 4-for-14 in the series (28.6 percent). They were a League best 30.6 percent on the power play in the regular season. 

5. Goaltending: Connor Ingram took over as the No. 1 goalie for Edmonton toward the end of the regular season and started five of the six games in the playoffs. He had a 2-3 record with a 3.86 goals-against average and .876 save percentage. Tristan Jarry started Game 4 for Edmonton and gave up four goals on 38 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss. He had a 3.84 goals-against average and .895 save percentage in his one start. Lukas Dostal started every game of the series for the Ducks and while he didn’t have eye-popping numbers with a 3.87 goals-against average and .874 save percentage, he did come up with big saves at opportune times for Anaheim.