3 Keys to the Oilers Defeating the Ducks in Game 5 – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers are looking to stay alive at Rogers Place on Tuesday (April 28), when they host the Anaheim Ducks for Game 5 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs first round.

After losing Game 4 by a score of 4-3 in overtime at Honda Center on Sunday (April 26), Edmonton has now dropped three straight games and trails the best-of-seven series 3-1.

If the two-time defending Western Conference champion Oilers are going to avoid elimination, they will need to play much better than in any prior game this series. Here are the keys to Edmonton defeating Anaheim in Game 5:

Shut Down Ducks Power Play

The Ducks only had the 23rd-most effective power play in the NHL during the regular season, converting at a rate of just 18.6%. In this series, however, Anaheim has been deadly with the man advantage, going 6-for-12 with at least one power-play goal in every game thus far.

Anaheim’s power-play goals have come at great cost to the Oilers, particularly on Sunday, when the Ducks used a pair of power-play opportunities to erase a two-goal deficit in the second period of Game 4.

Many felt that special teams would be the difference-maker in this series, except it was supposed to be in favour of the Oilers, who had the league’s top-ranked power play in 2025-26, converting 30.6% of the time. In power-play and penalty-kill situations during the regular season, the Oilers had a plus-18 goal differential while the Ducks were minus-10. In this series, Anaheim has a plus-4 edge.

The Oilers have it in them to defend much better while short-handed. Over the final 10 games of the regular season, when the team made a notable commitment to defence, Edmonton successfully killed off penalties 87.5% of the time.

It’s not too late for Edmonton to tilt special teams play to its advantage. The Oilers scored on both of their opportunities with the man-advantage in Game 4 and are 3-for-4 over the last two games after starting the series 0-for-6. But it will all be for nought if Edmonton can’t figure out how to shut down Anaheim’s power-play.

Get Another Strong Performance in Goal

Of all the reasons that the Oilers lost on Sunday, goaltending was not one of them. After starting in place of Connor Ingram, who was shelled for 14 goals over the first three games, Tristan Jarry delivered Edmonton’s best goaltending performance of the series, making 34 saves on 38 shots.

He was particularly good to start the game, stopping the first 17 shots he faced. It wasn’t until Edmonton got into penalty trouble in the second period that the Ducks were able to solve the Oilers’ netminder on the power play.

Jarry’s teammates weren’t much help. Their poor defensive play created several great scoring chances for Anaheim, but Jarry was up to the task, making several difficult saves.

Ultimately, Jarry played good enough for Edmonton to win, which is probably more than could be said for Ingram in Games 2 and 3. As of Monday (April 27) night, it was not yet known whether the Oilers would be giving Jarry a second straight start or going back to Ingram for Game 5. But no matter who is between the pipes, they need to be at their best to give Edmonton its greatest chance of forcing Game 6.

Play With Pride

The Oilers have had an incredible run of postseason success over the last few years. They advanced to the Western Conference Final in 2022, reached the second round of the playoffs in 2023, and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in both 2024 and 2025.

But for much of this series, the Oilers have looked nothing like the team that won an incredible nine playoff series over the previous four years. It wouldn’t be right to suggest they’re not giving an honest effort, but there’s clearly a spark missing from this team. The Oilers just don’t seem to be fully checked in from whistle to whistle, as evidenced by the whopping six leads Edmonton has blown already.

The Oilers simply looked tired, which has been the case for much of the season. That’s not an excuse, but maybe just a fact that all the hockey of the last few years has caught up with them. There are also Oilers playing hurt, most conspicuously Connor McDavid, the extent to which won’t be known until after their final game.

But with all that said, if this team has any pride, the Oilers should be able to summon enough, especially in front of their home fans, to stay alive for at least one more night. Either way, Tuesday’s tilt could be the last hockey game at Rogers Place until September.