logo
OilersNation has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA
Stay calm Edmonton, it’s only Game 3
alt
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Liam Horrobin
Apr 24, 2026, 12:30 EDTUpdated: Apr 24, 2026, 12:34 EDT
Comments
There’s no linear path to winning the Stanley Cup. Losses are inevitable, meaning that, from time to time, your team won’t have a good performance. If you’ve experienced an Edmonton Oilers playoff run before, you’ll know all about this. 
They were 2-0 down to L.A. last year, 3-2 down to Vancouver the year before, and even 2-1 down to the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final in 2024. What do they all have in common? Edmonton won all of those series. 
Edmonton is tied with the Anaheim Ducks heading into Game 3 Friday night in Southern California. Wednesday night’s 6-4 loss was an underwhelming performance by the Oilers. Passes weren’t connecting consistently, the goaltending wasn’t great, and we still haven’t seen a point from the best player in the world, Connor McDavid.
Still, the series is tied at one, which isn’t an uncommon theme in Oil Country. During the McDavid era, Edmonton hasn’t even held a 2-0 series when they have had home-ice advantage. Anaheim, Florida, L.A., Winnipeg, Chicago, and San Jose all left Rogers Place with a victory under their belts.
The good news is that the Oilers still won the majority of those series. 
We are all riding the playoff wave right now, but it is surprising that we’ve already arrived at the Kris Knoblauch is being outcoached narrative. 
It’s 1-1. That’s it.
Ironically, it’s the special teams that are letting down Edmonton the most, especially the power play. The man advantage was the only part of the Oilers’ game that was consistent throughout the regular season. They were on pace to beat their own record at one point, until injuries came into play. 
“People forget,” said McDavid after Wednesday’s defeat. “Leon (Draisaitl) is just back, Hyman is just back. As good as the power play is, it’s still a work in progress.
“We haven’t run out of normal routes and looks for some time. It’s not just a light switch. We are working on it, obviously, and we will be a part of this series. We will be.”
A fair and valid response from McDavid. Timing is everything on the power play, and you could see a slight disconnect in Game 1. On top of the strong defensive plays from Anaheim, especially on zone entries, basically preventing the Oilers from getting in the zone, never mind setting up a chance.
The good news is that the power play showed signs of life in Game 2. They broke into the zone more, had a few chances, but still weren’t able to connect. Obviously still not up to the standard, though, considering the Ducks are converting at 60 per cent.
The penalty kill has struggled tremendously early on. A similar story to last playoffs, when Edmonton allowed five power play goals on 10 attempts in L.A. That trickled into Game 3 of that series, too, allowing a couple more, giving LA 7 goals on 12 advantages. Eventually, Knoblauch and his staff made adjustments, allowing one for the rest of the series. 
The beginning of the Vegas series was similar to an underperforming special teams in the first couple of games. However, the penalty kill became a non-factor after Game 3 of the Vegas series until the Stanley Cup Final because Edmonton stopped allowing goals. They conceded 15 times over the next 8 games, but 10 of the goals came in two games. 
As for today’s penalty kill, injuries are obviously playing a role. People don’t appreciate him for his job on the kill, but the absence of Adam Henrique is real. Combine that with Jason Dickinson also being sidelined, and you’ve got yourself a problem.
They’re thin right now, but it was interesting that Knoblauch opted to give Zach Hyman and Josh Samanski time there over Curtis Lazar, who has been a mainstay when he’s in the lineup. Hyman had just over two minutes on the kill all season, while Samanski was playing in his first playoff game.
You’d have to imagine more changes come tonight. Hopefully, Dickinson can play, but also give more time to Lazar and/or Savoie over Hyman.
A huge positive for Edmonton, and why you shouldn’t worry too much, is the 5-on-5 scoring. Edmonton is playing well at even strength, especially when they’re playing with pace and cycling the puck. They’re outscoring Anaheim 8-4 and, minus a couple of mental errors, are giving up many chances against either. 
We’ll see what Knoblauch does tonight with his lineup because the trio of Roslovic, Savoie, and Samanski probably forced his hand. They were noticeable in the third period, getting the game-tying goal. That likely moves Nugent-Hopkins back to the top line with McDavid and Hyman, which was one of the best lines in hockey earlier this season.
The biggest area of improvement for Edmonton is emotion. Louie DeBrusk mentioned a few times on the broadcast that the emotion wasn’t always there on the Oilers bench. That needs to improve significantly, because it feels more like the back end of the regular season than the opening games of the playoffs. 
Let’s see a few extra scrums tonight. Get those inexperienced Ducks blueliners shaking while they get to retrieve pucks. Force a few extra turnovers. Edmonton certainly has the firepower to do that, and they need to grab hold of it. 
With that, and the assumption that McDavid gets at least a point tonight, Edmonton should play well enough to win. Keep the 5-on-5 pace and special team improvement, then we can all have a happy Friday night. 
If Edmonton cleans up those areas, they’ll head back to Rogers Place with a series lead. 
This series isn’t slipping away from Edmonton. It’s hardly even begun.

PRESENTED BY PRAIRIE TOYOTA DEALERS

The Toyota Tacoma is the ultimate power play. Its standard i-FORCE engine delivers more power than ever and a towing capacity of up to 6,400 lbs. It helps you take on challenging landscapes with confidence with its available Panoramic Multi-Terrain View Monitor that provides a live, underfloor view of the terrain you’re tackling. It even makes loading and unloading gear effortless with its available Power Liftgate. Whether it’s for early morning practice or weekend away games, the Tacoma is a teammate you can rely on. Visit your local Prairie Toyota dealer during Red Tag Days for limited-time offers.
Editorials
MORE NEWS. IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Breaking News