4 Reasons the Oilers Fell Apart in the 2026 Playoffs

It was a disappointing finish for the Edmonton Oilers, who were bounced by the Anaheim Ducks in six games in Round 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday night. Given their experience and star power, this was an unexpected outcome versus a young Ducks team playing in their first postseason series since 2017-18. Nonetheless, Edmonton must now reflect on what went wrong, and here are a few things they will likely consider.

Oilers’ Messy Defending

The Oilers had bright spots, but overall, the team had a tough time keeping the Ducks off the scoresheet. Whether it was a forward missing coverage, a bad turnover by a defender, or a misplay by a goalie, something always went wrong.

The Oilers had 41 defensive zone giveaways, the second-most of the first round, until they were eliminated. They struggled to clear pucks from their zone, and they paid for it. The Ducks lead the playoffs with a 12.63 expected goals for. The Oilers ranked second in that category, but that doesn’t matter when the team that ranks first is your opponent.

It was a rough experience for the team. Edmonton could score and had the players capable of playing solid defence, but their execution, from top to bottom, failed them at the worst possible time.

Oilers Played Uneven Games

This is the product of the inconsistent defensive play. The Oilers often came out hot, played a flat second period, and then the third period was a wild card. In Game 1 of the series, they managed an early two-goal lead and dominated the first period, outshooting the Ducks 14-4. In the second, they allowed the Ducks to score three straight goals, taking the lead into the third. In the third, the Oilers took the lead back with two late goals and won 4-3.

Every game was like a roller coaster ride, and not a fun one. The team needed a full 60-minute effort to take control of the series, and they just couldn’t do it. This must be improved on for next season and, especially, the playoffs.

Oilers’ Injured and Invisible Stars

Edmonton did everything they could to push through their injuries, but ultimately, some players just couldn’t play up to their standards. Connor McDavid, Jason Dickinson, Colton Dach, and Adam Henrique all had some form of ailment. There were a lot of game-time decisions and lineup shuffling, and we can expect other player injuries to come out in the coming weeks.

The Oilers’ star players struggled to overcome these injuries and lineup changes more than usual. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard still showed up, posting over a point per game, but the others faltered; McDavid took a few games to get going, Zach Hyman had just two points, Jack Roslovic’s strong regular season didn’t translate, and more. The high-powered and dangerous offence we are used to seeing in past runs didn’t show up early enough to win this series.

Oilers’ Questionable Coaching Decisions

There were moments in the series when the coaching staff made some questionable decisions. First, switching from Connor Ingram to Tristan Jarry as the Game 4 starter was a bad choice. Ingram wasn’t necessarily at his best, but he also wasn’t getting much help from his defence through three games. He was the solidified starter for a long period of time up to that point, so a goalie switch at such a critical time was risky.

It’s nothing against Jarry – he played a decent game in his one appearance. However, putting him in cold into a huge game on the road, with Anaheim ahead 2-1 in the series, was a crucial decision. Head coach Kris Knoblauch has been known to make goalie changes to flip momentum, moving from Stuart Skinner to Calvin Pickard in the last two postseasons, but this felt different. Pickard was more reliable and had more playing time with the team before he came in. This was a hasty decision that didn’t work.

Then there was the call to keep Josh Samanski in the lineup over veteran Trent Frederic. Neither player played terribly; however, Samanski’s inexperience showed more as the series went on, and he couldn’t keep up. Frederic’s physicality proved to be valuable early on, but we never got to see it again.

The nice thing about a late-April exit is some extra time to evaluate where the team is at heading into the summer, and hopefully make adjustments and get ahead of the competition while they are still playing or focused on other things. This will be another very important offseason in Edmonton.