3 Keys to the Oilers Beating the Ducks in Game 3

The Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks are set to meet in Game 3 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs first round at Honda Center on Friday (April 24).

After the Oilers opened the postseason with a 4-3 win in Game 1 on Monday (April 20), Anaheim evened up the best-of-seven series by beating the host Oilers 6-4 in Game 2 at Rogers Place on Wednesday (April 22).

Historically, teams that lead an NHL playoff round 2-1 after three games go on to win the series almost 70% of the time. During the Connor McDavid era, Edmonton has never lost a postseason series when they win Game 3.

Suffice to say, Game 3 is massively important. Here are three keys for the Oilers to come out on top in Orange County on Friday night.

McDavid Needs to Produce

McDavid had zero goals, zero assists, three giveaways, and finished with a plus/minus of minus-2 on Wednesday, in what many feel was the worst performance of his NHL playoff career. The Oilers captain was also held without a point in Edmonton’s Game 1 victory.

Going back to last year, McDavid’s postseason pointless streak is now at a career-worst three games. Over Edmonton’s last six playoff games, he’s got just two points and a plus/minus of minus-9.

That is simply not good enough from the man who has 176 more points than anyone else in the NHL since he entered the league 11 years ago, and who just clinched his sixth Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s regular season points leader.

Edmonton’s success hinges on McDavid. The Oilers lost all 14 games during the regular season in which he failed to get at least one point. Including their Game 1 victory, the Oilers have won only two of the last 23 regular season or playoff games in which McDavid is held pointless.

The issue in Edmonton used to be that the Oilers didn’t surround McDavid with the supporting cast to win the Stanley Cup. But through the first two games of the series, the Oilers have already scored six times when their captain wasn’t on the ice.

If the Oilers can continue to get close to that output from their supporting cast, and McDavid produces at his normal level, they will be exceptionally difficult to beat. But should he be held in check for a third straight game, odds are very high that Anaheim will be taking a 2-1 series lead.

Oilers’ Power-Play Needs to Convert

During the regular season, Edmonton converted a league-leading 30.6% of its power-play opportunities and killed penalties at a rate of 81.6% over its final 20 games, ranking top 10 in the NHL over that span. Anaheim, meanwhile, was tied for the sixth-lowest penalty kill percentage, with a rate of just 76.4%, and had the 23^rd-ranked power play, converting only 18.6% of the time. Special teams play was such an overwhelming case of strength versus weakness that many felt it could be where the Ducks lose the series.

However, the reverse has proven true early in the series, as Anaheim is three-for-five on the power play while the Oilers are zero-for-six. To make matters worse, Edmonton gave up a short-handed goal in Game 2, the direct result of a horrendously errant pass by McDavid.

At 5-on-5, Edmonton is doubling up the Ducks, outscoring them a whopping 8-4 through two games. Given those numbers, there’s no way the Oilers should be anything other than up 2-0 in the series.

Anaheim is going to give the Oilers opportunities with the man advantage: the Ducks were one of the most penalized teams in the NHL during the regular season, and they were short-handed on four separate occasions in the first two periods alone on Wednesday. The Oilers simply need to make Anaheim pay by executing to their capabilities.

Ingram Needs to Make a Big Save

Oilers goalie Connor Ingram hasn’t had much help from his defence thus far in the series. While he’s been beaten eight times on 55 shots over the first two games, Ingram can’t really be faulted for more than one of the eight goals he’s allowed.

In Game 1, Ingram absolutely robbed Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke while Edmonton trailed in the third period, taking away a sure goal that could have spelled doom for the Oilers. His heroics on Monday put Edmonton in position to rally for victory.

But on Wednesday, the Oilers didn’t get that proverbial big save when they needed it. On three occasions, Anaheim scored less than five minutes after an Edmonton goal, snuffing out the home team’s momentum. Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal at 15:08 of the third period, only 75 seconds after Edmonton had tied the score at 4-4.

Without question, the Oilers must play better defensively. But in a high-scoring series where at least three or four goals could be needed to win each game, just one huge stop could make the difference. Edmonton fans hope the Oilers will be on the right side of that outcome in Game 3.