Oilers’ Best Players Need to Step Up in Series Against the Ducks – The Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers lost 6-4 to the Anaheim Ducks in Game 2 on Wednesday night (April 22) to tie the series at one. The Oilers’ depth has come through in the first two games. Kasperi Kapanen and Jason Dickinson each have two goals, while Connor Murphy and Josh Samanski have also lit the lamp.

While this depth scoring is a welcome addition, the Oilers aren’t getting nearly enough from their best players not named Leon Draisaitl. Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard haven’t had a good start to the playoffs, and that’s putting it politely.

They have both been underwhelming, and we aren’t used to seeing that lacklustre play from the best player in the world and one of the best defencemen in the league. The Oilers will only go as far as their big guns will take them, so McDavid and Bouchard need to step up and make a difference in this series, because we all know they can. This level of play is unacceptable.

Jackson LaCombe Has Outplayed Bouchard

Bouchard had a putrid Game 1, but he was much better in Game 2. However, that’s not good enough. He’s an offensive defenceman and needs to contribute on the scoresheet, which he hasn’t done thus far. He was unable to get shots through in the first game, finishing the contest with a goose egg in the shots department. He had two shots in Game 2, but they need more from him. He has a bullet, and he needs to get shots off more frequently.

He’s Edmonton’s number one defenceman, but he’s being severely outplayed by Anaheim’s number one defenceman, Jackson LaCombe. Bouchard has zero points this series, while Lacombe has four assists. Anaheim’s blueliner has been a force on the back end, and he has been the best defenceman on both sides through the first two games.

LaCombe has made great plays, and he hasn’t made egregious turnovers, like Bouchard has, especially in the second period of Game 1. However, Bouchard is known for starting a series slowly and picking it up significantly as it continues. If the Oilers hope to win, that trend must continue. Edmonton needs Bouchard to be a difference-maker, and right now, he’s not.

McDavid Has Struggled

To say McDavid has struggled in the first two games would be an understatement. He has been a borderline liability. He’s trying to do too much, and it’s costing the team. The Oilers’ captain is attempting to skate through the entire Ducks team and is turning the puck over. Anaheim has done a great job of standing him up at the blue line and not letting him gain the zone. McDavid needs to make adjustments because what he’s doing clearly isn’t working.

Anaheim’s fourth line was tasked with shutting down McDavid for most of Game 2, and they succeeded. The trio of Tim Washe, Jeffrey Veil, and Ian Moore were out there in the final minutes defending a one-goal lead and didn’t allow the big guns the opportunity to set up in the zone and attack. No disrespect to that trio, but nobody’s fourth line should outplay McDavid’s line. He wasn’t just outplayed for a shift, but that line dominated him all game.

McDavid momentarily went down the tunnel after an apparent lower-body injury in Game 2, but he returned shortly after and finished the game. However, an injury shouldn’t be used as an excuse. He’s still moving well, and his mistakes are mental errors. He was making those same mistakes in Game 1, before he got banged up.

He has made poor decisions with the puck and is forcing plays that aren’t there. His cross-seam passes are frequently intercepted, and he made a putrid decision on Anaheim’s shorthanded goal in Game 2. He threw the puck to an open wing, with no teammates in the vicinity, and the Ducks pounced on the loose puck and scored. He needs to make better decisions, and that’s not injury-related. His puck management has been a major concern. Were these the worst two playoff games McDavid has played in his career?

If Bouchard and McDavid don’t step up, this could be a very short playoff run for the Oilers. Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the postseason.