{"id":473337,"date":"2026-02-26T17:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T17:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/473337\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T17:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T17:08:14","slug":"everything-falls-apart-defensively-for-edmonton-oilers-lose-6-5-to-anaheim-ducks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/473337\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything falls apart defensively for Edmonton Oilers, lose 6\u20135 to Anaheim Ducks"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a three-week hiatus for the Olympics<\/a>, the Edmonton Oilers returned to action last night against the Anaheim Ducks. They made an addition before the game, activating Adam Henrique off of long-term injured reserve. They also made an addition over the break, welcoming Paul Coffey back<\/a> behind the bench. Given the results of the last three games before the break<\/a>, they needed his return badly.<\/p>\n

The last time the Oilers played the Ducks, 11 goals were scored and the Oilers didn\u2019t look good defensively. Edmonton could have put the game away much sooner than they actually did, but bad defence made things too interesting. The Ducks can score at will, and anything less than the best will end poorly.<\/p>\n

Once again, the Oilers and Ducks combined for 11 goals scored, and Edmonton didn\u2019t look good defensively. The difference is that, this time around, Tristan Jarry wasn\u2019t able to offer .900 goaltending like last time. Even for Jarry getting the hook, this game was destined for Overtime. Until Darnell Nurse happened. Cherry on top of the poop sundae goes to Connor McDavid, who iced the game with a tripping penalty with 22 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n

Oilers lose 6\u20135.<\/p>\n

In a way, it\u2019s a good thing they got this out of the way first, because Coffey now knows just how much work he has to do. And with only 23 games to go, he\u2019s gotta get on it in record time. Here\u2019s the game story.<\/p>\n

The defence was brutal in that third period<\/p>\n

The Oilers had a 4\u20132 lead after two periods of play. The fact that they built that lead within the space of the final 1:15 of the second period should have been enough. Giving up one goal late is already a backbreaker; two should be curtains for the conceding team. Alas, just as quickly as the Oilers got that lead to end the second, they lost it to start the third.<\/p>\n

The goal breakdowns<\/p>\n

The 4\u20133 goal is a classic case of too many players trying to cover one guy. Jacob Trouba does not require the attention of three different Oilers; he is Mattias Ekholm\u2019s guy. Bouchard gets caught chasing Trouba, although he is also monitoring Cutter Gauthier to be fair. The real problem is nobody picks up Leo Carlsson, which McDavid should have been able to do with a shoulder-check. <\/p>\n

The 4\u20134 goal is a great point shot from Olen Zellweger, which coverage-wise is executed better. However, you will notice two Ducks migrate (pun intended) to the net-front following the play behind the net. The fact that Anaheim play-by-play broadcaster John Ahlers isn\u2019t sure if it hit anyone on its way in is already an indicator there\u2019s too much traffic parked in front of Jarry. Those orange jerseys should not be there. The defence has to do a far better job boxing them out, so that Jarry can make the save.<\/p>\n

This is about the only one out of the four where most of the blame falls on the goalie\u2019s shoulders. Still, with four guys nearby Beckett Sennecke, a shot on goal shouldn\u2019t even occur here. Way too much respect was given to him on this play.<\/p>\n

The pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance was the game-winning goal. It began with a brutal, horrid, should-never-happen turnover by Nurse at the blue line. He makes it worse by being one of two Oilers not covering Gauthier at the side of the net. Matt Savoie was the other one, and that was a rough way to end the night for him. <\/p>\n

But Savoie at least was rockstar-mode for the first 58 minutes of the contest. By comparison, Nurse was not. Just a brutal period to have to watch overall.<\/p>\n

Ingram\u2019s play later tonight will determine the goaltending answer <\/p>\n

While most of the fault for the third period can be attributed to poor defence, Jarry did not help matters. The fifth goal got him pulled, rightfully so, as that\u2019s one that should not happen. He had also let in an iffy goal in the first period, that cut the Oilers\u2019 lead at the time in half. After the game, Jarry took accountability for his performance, saying that \u201cif I could find one of those through the screens, or I\u2019m able to handle a rebound here or there,\u201d the outcome would have been a more favourable one.<\/p>\n

Connor Ingram spelled him for the final 13:21 of this game, and will likely remain the scheduled starter tonight. With how tight the playoff race is currently, if Ingram performs well tonight, Edmonton will have to ride with him over Jarry. Barring some sudden finding of form for Jarry, or a Connor Ungar call-up<\/a>, it\u2019s Ingram\u2019s time to shine.<\/p>\n

At least the offence didn\u2019t need much from McDavid and Draisaitl<\/p>\n

With Josh Samanski having been returned to the AHL\u2019s Bakersfield Condors, that meant McDavid<\/a>, and Leon Draisaitl<\/a>, were the two Olympians suiting up in orange and blue tonight. Given the short turnaround between the end of the tournament and NHL play resuming, it was reasonable to expect them to be slow coming out of the gates. Although McDavid has said he plays better with less breaks, so who knows?<\/p>\n

McDavid would get the second star of the game, with two assists. But by and large, the offence in this game was done by committee. In the absence of Kasperi Kapanen, and with Draisaitl not finding the scoresheet, everyone else in the top-nine forwards took turns scoring. Jack Roslovic kicked things off a lucky 13 seconds into the contest.<\/p>\n

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, and Evan Bouchard also contributed goals toward the 4\u20132-through-40-minutes lead. Savoie, having had assists on two of those goals, scored the fifth Oilers goal himself. He was starting to round into form before the Olympic break, and this was a top-of-your-game kind of night for the youngster.<\/p>\n

Ekholm also had two assists, and Podkolzin also found the scoresheet. Nurse did too, which indicates his game wasn\u2019t entirely terrible, though one assist did not outweigh the minus-3 he finished with. But overall, this was as well-rounded an offensive performance as you could ask for, from a team that\u2019s struggled to score at times this season.<\/p>\n

Playoff positioning is officially in peril, so a win tonight is a must<\/p>\n

With this loss, Anaheim leapfrogs Edmonton for second place in the Pacific Division. The Vegas Golden Knights also won last night, which isn\u2019t great. On a positive front, both Seattle and Los Angeles came up empty in their matchups, so the Oilers stay ahead of them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But losing divisional matchups like these isn\u2019t something the Oilers have done much of in the past five years, and they cannot afford to start losing them now. There\u2019s a very small margin for error this year, and Edmonton needs to right the ship quickly. The rest of the schedule is heavily focused on Western Conference opponents. <\/p>\n

Just go out and beat the Los Angeles Kings tonight. Put some space between yourselves and them, as well as Seattle. Losing tonight will be a very shambolic outcome, and that\u2019s not hyperbole.<\/p>\n

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