There will be a Game 8.
On Wednesday night, the Edmonton Oilers continued their good start to the 2026-27 season, defeating the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 in a first-round matchup from 2026. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.While the game ended well for the Oilers, it sure didn’t start great. Three minutes into the game, Josh Samanski took a hooking penalty to give the Ducks an early chance on the man advantage. The Ducks picked up right where they left off on the power play, as Beckett Sennecke was left all alone in front of Devon Levi, banging it home on a rebound just over four minutes into the game.
🚨 Sennecke 🚨
He gets us started on the power play!
After just killing off half the penalties they took in the 2026 postseason, you’d think the Oilers would be wise not to take penalties against the Ducks. They were not. Jake Walman took a penalty with about five to play in the first period, then Sennecke scored his second of the period.
🚨 Sennecke X 2 🚨
Another one on the power play!
Thankfully, the Oilers woke up after the first intermission. Just 10 seconds into the second period, Evan Bouchard’s slap shot from the point took a fortunate bounce off a Duck and past Lukás Dostál, cutting the Ducks’ lead in half.
Seven minutes into the second, the Oilers tied up the game on a power play of their own. Connor McDavid broke into the zone, weaved through traffic, and found a wide-open Kasperi Kapanen on the doorstep.
With six to play in the second, Bouchard scored his second of the game and his sixth of the season, as his slap shot from the point beat Dostál clean. There’s really not much else to say, he’s just been incredible in these first four games.
The Oilers got an insurance goal with just over three to play in the second period, as Leon Draisaitl found Vasily Podkolzin with a terrific stretch pass, setting up the Russian on a breakaway. Podkolzin made no mistake, scoring his fourth of the season in as many games.
Unsurprisingly, the Oilers scored another goal in the second period. In the final minute of the middle frame, McDavid got a zone entry and shot from the top of the faceoff dot. The puck squeaked through a rattled Dostál, giving the Oilers a 5-2 lead.
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Takeaways…
The top line will get most of the credit, which is fair, but the Oilers don’t win this game without Levi. He wasn’t needed in the second period, but Levi faced 16 shots in the first period and made several huge stops late in the first to keep it 2-0 at that point. The netminder faced 30 shots, stopping 28 of them for a .933 save percentage.
If this team acquires a second-line centre, they’ll be unstoppable. The Vasily Podkolzin, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl line has been incredible. All three of the Oilers’ even-strength goals came from that line, with Evan Bouchard, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl all finishing as a plus-4.
With a goal and three points, McDavid brought his season total to three goals and 12 points. If he were to somehow keep that pace, McDavid would finish the season with 252 points. He won’t, but it’s clear he’s the best player to ever do it.
Speaking of the best, at what point can you say that Bouchard is the best defenceman in the NHL? It’ll be hard to knock Cale Makar off the pedestal, but Bouchard leads the NHL with six goals at the end of the evening. He scored two goals and an assist in this one.
Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin have emerged as important secondary scorers for the Oilers. Podkolzin’s breakaway goal in the second period was his fourth in as many games; he’s really found a home with Draisaitl and McDavid. Kapanen also scored in this game, the lone player not in the starting lineup with a point in this game.
The best player who didn’t pick up a point in this game was Ryan Shea. He played 24:30; no one on the Oilers, not even Bouchard, played more than Shea. He’s been a solid addition to the Oilers’ blue line.
The rest of the Oilers’ three lines had a quiet night. I had to keep reminding myself that Jason Dickinson was activated from the injured reserve ahead of the game, he was rather unnoticeable. That’s not necessarily a bad thing given his role of being a shutdown third-line centre, though he was Wednesday’s second-line centre. Their third-line of Alex Formenton, Mathieu Joseph, and Owen Michaels was solid yet again.
There were some negatives from this game, though. While Kapanen and Podkolzin picked up where they left off against the Ducks, it was their power play that put them ahead 2-0. Connor Murphy took four penalties, three of which sent the Ducks to the power play, while Josh Samanski took two penalties to put the Ducks on the power play. The number of opportunities the Oilers gave the Ducks weren’t great either.
Why exactly did the Oilers trade for Issac Howard? His skill set is best suited to a player in the top six with a player driver, not on a fourth line with Samanski and Max Jones. Give him top-six playing time or move him for someone who could help. That line was shelled yet again, and all three players may not have a roster spot when this team is healthy.
Murphy’s start to the season hasn’t been great; neither has Jake Walman’s start. He took a penalty that led to the Ducks’ second goal and was shelled during five-on-five action. I still have faith he’ll bounce back after a dismal 2025-26, but he was laboured again after a blocked shot, less than ideal.
All in all, it was a pretty solid game for the Oilers, especially from their top line. Their run of games against Pacific Division foes continues on Saturday, as they head north to the Bay Area to take on the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. That game has a 2 p.m. MT start time.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for DFOEdmonton, DFOCalgary, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on X at @CynthiaRDelaney.
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