5 Takeaways From Oilers’ Season-Ending 5-2 Loss to Ducks in Game 6 – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers were eliminated from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 of their first round series at Honda Center on Thursday (April 30). Anaheim wins the best-of-seven series 4-2 and advances to Round 2, where it will face the Utah Mammoth or Vegas Golden Knights.

Connor Murphy and Vasily Podkolzin scored for the Oilers, while Anaheim got goals from Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Chris Kreider, Ryan Poehling, and Troy Terry. Edmonton netminder Connor Ingram stopped 26 of the 30 shots he faced, and goalie Lukas Dostal made 25 saves in a winning effort for the Ducks.

Edmonton’s two-year reign as Western Conference champions comes to an end. This also marks the first time since 2021 that the Oilers will fail to advance beyond the first round.

Game Was Over in First Period

Game 6 started solidly enough for Edmonton. Through the first nine-plus minutes, shots on goal were just 2-1 in favour of the Oilers. But at 9:56, Poehling scored on his team’s second shot of the game, and with that, the Ducks were off to the races.

Kreider made it 2-0 with a goal less than four minutes later. Murphy scored at 15:14, giving a much-needed jolt to the Oilers. That, however, would prove short-lived, as Gauthier snuffed out Edmonton’s spark when he fired a puck that deflected off Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse and past a hapless Ingram at 16:50.

There were still more than two periods left to play, but at that moment the game felt over. And it indeed was: the Gauthier tally would prove to be the series winner.

Gauthier Goal Epitomized Series

Anaheim’s third goal on Thursday epitomized this series, as it involved almost everything that went wrong for the Oilers: they had unlucky bounces, gave up goals at the worst possible times, and played horrendously while shorthanded.

Edmonton finished the series 8-for-16 on the penalty kill, including 1-for-2 on Thursday. Gauthier’s tally gave Anaheim at least one power-play goal in all six games.

Special teams were supposed to favour the Oilers in the series, but they wound up being outscored 9-4 in those situations. As a final insult, Edmonton didn’t even get a single opportunity with the man-advantage in Game 6.

Ingram Kept Oilers Within Striking Distance

After Gauthier scored, it felt like the roof might cave in on Ingram, who had been beaten three times on Anaheim’s first six shots. The Sportsnet panel’s primary topic during the intermission was whether Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch should give Ingram the hook and go to Tristan Jarry.

But one thing that Ingram has shown over the last few months since he was recalled from the American Hockey League (AHL) and emerged as Edmonton’s No. 1 netminder, is that he doesn’t get rattled.

So it was no surprise that Knoblauch stuck with Ingram, who rewarded his coach’s faith by playing pretty well the rest of the way. The goalie stopped 23 of the final 24 shots he faced to keep the Oilers within striking distance.

Late Stages of Second Killed Oilers’ Hope

For a fleeting moment late in the second period, the Oilers were given renewed hope when Zach Hyman put the puck in Anaheim’s net with 1:28 remaining in the middle frame. But there was only one problem: the Oilers forward had clearly directed the puck in with his skate, and after a short review by the officials, the play was ruled no goal.

Anaheim then proceeded to score on the ensuing shifts, with Terry ripping a shot past Ingram on a two-on-one at 19:13. Just like that, what briefly appeared to be a 3-2 game was now 4-1, and there was no coming back for the Oilers.

Podkolzin scored early in the third period to cut the lead to 4-2, but that would be the last goal of Edmonton’s postseason. Carlsson sealed the series with an empty net goal at 17:26 of the third.

Disappointing Performance From McDavid

Oilers captain Connor McDavid recorded zero points, went 2-for-8 on faceoffs, and had a plus/minus of minus-3 in Game 6, putting a cap on what was a disappointing series for the NHL’s regular season points leader.

McDavid was held pointless in three of the six games, scored only once, and finished the series with a cumulative plus/minus of minus-8, setting a new record for lowest rating by a forward in a single series in Oilers postseason history.

To be fair, McDavid was rumoured to be dealing with an ankle injury, the extent of which may become known in the days ahead. But the Oilers desperately needed a signature monster performance from their superstar in this series, and they never got it.

The Oilers now face their longest offseason in five years. With the 2026-27 NHL season reportedly set to open on Sept. 29, it will be five months before McDavid and his teammates play a meaningful game again.