When I turn on an analytical coach’s mind to deconstruct the Edmonton Oilers in the playoffs, something truly weird happens. Time slows down, but it also speeds up.

Time has no meaning. We’re all just bags of meat.

What I think I mean is that chunks of the game blend together. Every moment has meaning, so because my mind is engaged, the play slows down.

But then, all of a sudden, it’s the second period, and everything has happened. I’m trying to watch for key moments that will define an entire game, and with your 2026 Edmonton Oilers, this is futile. You don’t know what’s going to happen three shifts from now, and the coaching staff hardly knows. So in this sense, the game flies by. The ebbs and flows with this team are dizzying, but the game in the playoffs is all about momentum and how you respond to it.

A coach mentor of mine, Gardiner MacDougall, refers to momentum as Lady Mo — Lady Momentum — and the thing about momentum is that it’s a lot easier to lose than it is to gain.

Watch this goal from a few playoffs ago. Edmonton vs. L.A., of course. Watch how determined Connor McDavid is on this play. And watch how many opportunities Kings players had to stop him. There’s probably a penalty in there somewhere, and instead of trying to catch Connor, Sean Durzi is complaining to the referee. This goal has a lot less to do with skill than it does with pure will. Connor is the hardest-working player on the ice, and his skill takes over. It’s a one-on-four! The most skilled player on earth and the most determined player on earth? Unstoppable.

This is the clip I’d show the team before Game 4. It doesn’t have to be McDavid either.

So if we establish that the first five minutes of the first period can’t predict what will happen in the game, then we need to contribute to the flow of the game. Improve the condition of the puck. When you don’t have it, defend as fast as you can with your stick on the ice to get it back. When you get it, support each other and attack quick.

Here are the main beats of Game 3 for me, weighted heavily at the start of the game.

I was on Oilersnation Everyday after Game 1 yammering on about being surprised by how much the Ducks sat back. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear that the Ducks respected the Oilers’ puck-moving defencemen more than I did. They’re content to sit back in a hard 1-2-2 neutral zone forecheck.

So the Oilers don’t need to figure out the neutral zone, just chip it in. Their offensive zone forecheck is also fine, but it’s their offensive zone play that needs work. The coaches will be telling players who don’t have the puck to work harder to get open — their off puck play hasn’t been good enough. That’s why McDavid and others have looked so alone all the time.

When the Oilers are able to enter the zone because of a bad Anaheim gap, this is how they have to do it. Drive the middle of the ice, and right on cue, Podkolzin scores because Kasperi Kapanen drives the middle.

I know what’s going to happen on the Ducks’ power play, you know, my friend Travis knows it, my mom knows it. And they still do it, and it works.

Predictability on your own team is vital. This isn’t how the Oilers operate because they have more natural skill than your average bear. Anaheim keeps it simple, and they operate by the law of averages – keep getting chances and eventually one will go in. They’re mostly stationary, just like the Washington Capitals with Backstrom, Ovechkin, Oshie, and who? Oh, John Carlsson back in the day. This has nothing to do with the Oilers, but as a coach I’d sooner steal the Ducks’ power play than the Oilers’.

“This could get away from me,” he said forlornly. At this point I’ve created the intro to this post, that anything can and will happen. So is the game that random? What is the point of the coaching staff then? What is the point of anything?

Because we are wired to compete. With that in mind, if I were reviewing this game for the team, I would want to give them one concept so that everything else becomes easier as a result. In these situations, it’s easier to over-coach than it is to find the right amount of information to deliver.

Third man in is usually an automatic penalty, but not in this case. What became clear as the Oilers lost the plot in Game 3 was how often they failed to come up with the puck. If a puck is in dispute, it’s not the first player or the second that usually dictates who’s going to gain possession, it’s the third. That’s why Propagandhi wrote a song about playing the man and not the puck. The Oilers need to finish their checks, of course (every single one of them), and then they need to have a second player in quick to help, or the third man overall. Make sense? Here are a couple examples.

So that’s what I’m looking for in this series. Support your teammates in puck battles, fight like hell to get it back, and for Gord’s sake, leave it all out on the ice. If you lose the city will still be behind you. If you have nothing left to give, then that’s ok. But make sure you have nothing left to lose.

Go Oilers.

Edmonton, it’s time to dust off your best game fits—playoff season is here. And for every away game, The Sauce is taking over Greta Bar YEG as the official playoff headquarters. There ain’t no party like a Nation playoff party. Expect food and drink specials you can’t beat, t-shirt tosses, giveaways, games, and a few surprises we’ve been saving just for the Nation Citizens. Whether you’re coming for the game, the atmosphere, or just to get a little saucy with the crew, this is where you want to be when the team hits the road. Secure your table by texting Greta’s hotline at 1-587-418-8507.