4 Reasons the Edmonton Oilers Can’t Make the 2026 Playoffs – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

It was a disappointing finish for the Edmonton Oilers, who were beaten 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 result for a young Ducks team playing in their first regular season series since 2017-18. Still, Edmonton now has to think about what went wrong, and here are a few things they might consider.

Oilers’ Messy Defending

The Oilers had some bright spots, but overall, the team had a tough time keeping the Ducks off the scoresheet. Whether it was a lack of play going forward, a poor substitution by a defender, or poor play by the goalkeeper, something always went wrong.

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

It was a tough experience for the team. Edmonton was able to score and get players to play solid defense, but their execution, top to bottom, let them down at the worst time.

The Oilers Played Unbalanced Games

This is a product of consistent defensive play. The Oilers often came out hot, played a slow second half, and then the third half was a wild card. In Game 1 of the series, they were able to take a two-goal lead and dominate the first half, outscoring the Ducks 14-4. In the second, they allowed the Ducks to score three consecutive goals, taking the lead in the third. In the third, the Oilers took a two-goal lead and won 4-3.

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

Injured and Unseen Oilers Stars

Edmonton did everything they could to overcome their injuries, but in the end, some players couldn’t play up to their level. Connor McDavid, Jason Dickinson, Colton Dach, and Adam Henrique all had some form of illness. There were a lot of game-time decisions and player shuffling, and we can expect some injured players to be out in the coming weeks.

The Oilers’ standout players have struggled to overcome these injuries and the game has changed more than usual. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard are still visible, posting more than a point per game, but others are falling short; McDavid took a few games to get going, Zach Hyman had just two points, Jack Roslovic’s strong season didn’t translate, and more. The strong and dangerous attack that we are used to seeing in the previous run did not show up in time to win this series.

Questionable Coaching Decisions for the Oilers

There have been times in the series when the coaching staff made questionable decisions. First, going from Connor Ingram to Tristan Jarry as the Game 4 starter was a bad decision. Ingram hasn’t been at his best, but he hasn’t gotten much help on defense through three games. He had been a solid starter for a long time up to that point, so a goal change at such a critical time was dangerous.

Nothing against Jarry – he played a good game in his one game. However, putting him in the cold in a big game on the road, with Anaheim leading 2-1 in the series, was an important decision. Head coach Kris Knoblauch has been known to make goaltending changes to change momentum, going from Stuart Skinner to Calvin Pickard the past two seasons, but this felt different. Pickard was reliable and had plenty of playing time with the team before he came on board. This was a quick decision that didn’t work.

Then there was the call to keep Josh Samanski in the lineup over veteran Trent Frederic. No player played badly; However, Samanski’s inexperience showed more as the series progressed, and he was unable to continue. Frederic’s physical condition seemed important at first, but we didn’t see it again.

The good thing about coming out in late April is more time to assess where the team will go in the summer, and hopefully make changes and continue the competition while still playing or focusing on other things. This is going to be another very important season in Edmonton.