Edmonton Oilers ousted early from NHL playoffs - BERITAJA

ANAHEIM – The Edmonton Oilers, exiting the playoffs early this play aft 2 marathon runs to the Stanley Cup final, were a dented and depleted team.

The Oilers wilted nether the accelerated and quiet Anaheim Ducks successful a 5-2 nonaccomplishment successful Thursday’s Game 6 that ended Edmonton’s play successful the first round.

Edmonton was outclassed and outworked by a Ducks squad that won its first playoff bid since 2017, which happened to beryllium complete the Oilers arsenic well.

The 2026 version of the Ducks included a twelve players nether the property of 25, and 14 who made their NHL playoff debuts successful the series.

The Oilers fell to the Florida Panthers successful each of the past 2 Cup finals successful bid that lasted 7 and six games, respectively.

Some Oilers hinted astatine the opening of this year’s playoffs that the regular play felt for illustration a chore astatine times, and that they were relieved to commencement the post-season again pinch a position to finishing the occupation and hoisting the Cup.

But they didn’t get close.

“We’ve been searching for consistency each twelvemonth and we didn’t find it present successful the playoffs,” said skipper Connor McDavid.

“It’s tough. We were an mean squad each year. An mean squad pinch precocious expectations, you’re going to beryllium disappointed.”

McDavid’s ankle, Leon Draisaitl’s knee, Jason Dickinson’s lower-body injury, and penalty-kill master Adam Henrique’s undisclosed series-ending wounded successful Game 1 weakened Edmonton up the middle.

McDavid, who led the NHL successful post-season points 3 of the past 4 seasons, was hampered by a rolled ankle successful the 2nd play of Game 2. Draisaitl missed the past 14 games of the regular play pinch a knee injury.

McDavid and Draisaitl spent the past 2 games of the bid arsenic linemates alternatively of centring abstracted lines. They battled, but weren’t capable to will their squad into a higher cogwheel Thursday.

“Too wounded excessively soon,” McDavid said. “The first information is ever tough. It’s ever chaotic. It’s reliable to play done things truthful early on, arsenic galore guys did successful here.

“Credit to our unit for making guys disposable and making judge they were arsenic comfortable arsenic possible. That being said it’s not an excuse either. We expected to person a longer tally than we did.”

Draisaitl had 3 goals and 7 assists successful six games. McDavid, who was held disconnected the scoresheet pinch the first 2 games of the series, vanished pinch a extremity and 5 assists.

Defence was Edmonton’s downfall successful allowing 26 goals successful six games. The punishment termination gave up 8 goals connected Anaheim’s 15 chances.

Edmonton’s powerfulness play started 0-for-6 successful the first 2 games earlier finishing 4-for-14.

“We struggled connected the PK each twelvemonth too. We’ve been searching for consistency location too,” McDavid said. “The power-play could person been amended to commencement the series.”

Edmonton’s offence compensated for a bottom-tier ranking successful the NHL successful allowed goals-against successful the regular season. A leaky defence was magnified successful the playoffs.

Edmonton scored the first extremity successful the first 5 games, yet won conscionable 2 of them.

“Pretty overmuch the communicative for about of the year. We conscionable didn’t take sides good enough,” said caput coach Kris Knoblauch.

“You usually triumph aliases suffer connected your protect play. It wasn’t bully enough.”

The Ducks had puck luck early connected a deflection disconnected a assemblage and disconnected a instrumentality connected 2 of their first 3 goals Thursday.

Edmonton grounded to utilization Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal fighting the puck and giving up rebounds successful the first play erstwhile the Oilers had 9 shots that missed the net.

Down 3-1 aft the first period, the Oilers had clip to activity their measurement backmost into the game. The Ducks gave nary quarter, however. They turned a neutral-zone turnover by Evan Bouchard into an odd-man unreserved and a 4-1 lead earlier the extremity of the 2nd period.

“As overmuch arsenic it hurts, I deliberation they’re conscionable a amended team,” Draisaitl said.

How overmuch deterioration and tear of 2 agelong seasons factored into Edmonton’s earliest playoff exit successful 5 years, location was small tolerance for that mentation post-game.

“It’s not an excuse,” said guardant Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “We conscionable didn’t get the occupation done.”

This study by BERITAJA was first published May 1, 2026.