Done in by deficient defense, the Edmonton Oilers were ousted early from NHL playoffs
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers, exiting the playoffs early this season after two marathon runs to the Stanley Cup Final, were a dented and depleted team. The 5-2 loss to Anahiem in Thursday’s Game 6 ended Edmonton’s season in the first round. The Oilers were outclassed and outworked by a Ducks team that won its first playoff series since 2017 with a roster that included a dozen players under the age of 25 and 14 who were making their NHL playoff debuts.
The Oilers lost to Florida in each of the last two Cup finals in series that lasted seven and six games, respectively. Some Oilers hinted at the beginning of this year’s playoffs that the regular season felt like a chore at times, and that they were relieved to start the postseason again with a shot at finishing the job and hoisting the Cup. They didn’t get close.
“We’ve been searching for consistency all year and we didn’t find it here in the playoffs,” said captain Connor McDavid, who signed a short-term contract extension before the season. “It’s tough. We were an average team all year.
An average team with high expectations, you’re going to be disappointed. ” McDavid’s ankle, Leon Draisaitl’s knee, Jason Dickinson’s lower-body injury and penalty-kill specialist Adam Henrique’s undisclosed series-ending injury in Game 1 weakened Edmonton up the middle. Draisaitl missed the last 14 games of the regular season.
McDavid and Draisaitl spent the last two games of the series as linemates instead of centring separate lines. They battled, but weren’t able to will their team into a higher gear. “Too hurt too soon,” McDavid told The Canadian Press.