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Oilers eliminated from 2026 playoffs after Game 6 loss to Ducks: Recap, Reaction and Highlights
Edmonton Oilers Anaheim Ducks Connor McDavid
Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
May 1, 2026, 01:00 EDT
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Well, there’s always next year.
The Edmonton Oilers’ season came to an end on Thursday evening, as they fell 5-2 to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6. It’s the first time that the Oilers have been eliminated in the first round since they were swept by the Winnipeg Jets in 2021. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.
For the first time in the six games, it was the Ducks who found the first goal. Midway through the first period, they won a puck battle in the corner and got it back to John Carlson at the point. The defenceman slapped it toward the goal, but it deflected off Ryan Poehling and into the back of the net.
With just over six minutes left in the first period, the Ducks broke it out of their zone and got a three-on-two. Mattias Ekholm lunged to try to knock the puck off Leo Carlsson’s stick, but the Duck was able to get it over to a wide open Chris Kreider on the weak side. The veteran beat Connor Ingram high glove with a one-timer to make it 2-0.
Finally, the Oilers got some life with about five minutes to go in the first. Colton Dach threw a puck on Lukáš Dostál from the half boards. First on the puck was Josh Samanski, who shovelled the puck across the crease for an oncoming Connor Murphy. It wasn’t pretty, but the Oilers’ defenceman scored his second of the playoffs.
The momentum from that goal was short-lived. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins took a holding penalty with four and a half minutes left, a rather weak call for a playoff game. As the Ducks have done all series, they burned the Oilers on the ensuing power play. Midway through the kill and with about three minutes left to play in the period, Cutter Gauthier one-timed it past Ingram to make it 3-1.
Although the game remained 3-1 for the majority of the second period, the Ducks controlled the second period. It looked as if the Oilers cut the lead to one late in the period, but Zach Hyman clearly kicked the puck in.
Less than a minute later, the Ducks flipped it out of their zone and immediately pressured Evan Bouchard who caught the puck in the air. The defenceman’s turnover led to a two-on-one, with Carlsson passing it to Troy Terry. Ingram’s lateral movement was too slow, and the Ducks led 4-1 with 20 to play.
Again, the Oilers showed some. Just over a minute into the third period, Leon Draisaitl dropped the puck to Kasperi Kapanen after getting the line. They played a nice one-two and Draisaitl threw it towards the net. The rebound came out to Kapanen, who threw it towards the net. It took a fortunate deflection of Vasily Podkolzin, his third of the postseason.
The score remained 4-2 until the dying minutes of the game. With two and a half to play, Leo Carlsson put it into the empty net to seal the Oilers’ fate, a first-round exit for the first time since 2021.

TUNE INTO AFTER DARK NOW

Takeaways…

What a brutal series this was. The Oilers were heavily favoured to win this series, but they were the better team in maybe three of the 18 and a bit periods. They were just out-played and were lucky to get a win out of this series.
It’s going to be a long off-season in Edmonton. I don’t think Connor McDavid will ask out or anything like that, but as this series showed, moves will need to be made. They need to get a goalie, they need to move out some money (even if they have over $16 million in cap), the Oilers need to get rid of passengers, and they need to hire Bruce Cassidy.
A few days ago, I wrote that losing in the first round wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Oilers, and I truly believe that. This group has played a ton of hockey in recent seasons, especially the last two years. Not just that, but McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were clearly injured in this series. They’ll get some rest to regroup for next season, the season they need to win to keep McDavid.
One of the biggest reasons the Oilers made the Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 is off the back of their penalty kill. It was pretty bad in 2025, and it was horrendous this season. Had it even been average, they probably would have won this series.
As brutal as this series was, there were some positives to take away from it. Vasily Podkolzin was one of their best players and has now cemented himself as a top six forward on this team moving forward.
Say what you want about Kasperi Kapanen in the regular season, and yeah, it can be frustrating to watch him sometimes, but he’s showed up these last two playoffs. He and Podkolzin were their best players in the third period. If the Oilers had to choose just one pending unrestricted free agent to come back, Kapanen would be a good option.
Not really sure where the Oilers go from here, it’ll be odd watching three more postseason rounds without the Oilers after the past two seasons. Hopefully, they come out better next season because the clock is ticking.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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