{"id":616518,"date":"2026-04-20T12:54:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T12:54:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/616518\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T12:54:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T12:54:32","slug":"oilers-lean-into-playoff-maturity-prep-for-ducks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/616518\/","title":{"rendered":"Oilers lean into playoff maturity, prep for Ducks"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDMONTON \u2013 The Edmonton Oilers climbed a playoff mountain the last two years, but didn\u2019t plant their flag on the summit.<\/p>\n

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They reached the Stanley Cup final, only to fall to the Florida Panthers in a Game 7 in 2024 and in a Game 6 in 2025.<\/p>\n

The Oilers embark on what they hope is another marathon post-season, but with the lifting of Lord Stanley\u2019s trophy in June.<\/p>\n

Edmonton hosts the Anaheim Ducks, who return to the playoffs after a seven-year absence, in Monday\u2019s Game 1 at Rogers Place.<\/p>\n

Game 2 of the best-of-seven affair is Wednesday before the series flips to Anaheim for Friday\u2019s Game 3 and Sunday\u2019s Game 4 at the Honda Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here, we\u2019re in the playoffs and we have an opportunity to play Game 1 tomorrow and that\u2019s exciting and I know this group is excited for it,\u201d Oilers captain Connor McDavid said Sunday after practice at Rogers Place.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe regular season has become a little bit monotonous for this group and I think you see that through the day-to-day, but this is what we get excited for.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oilers boast a half-dozen players in their lineup who have appeared in 14 playoff series over the last six years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say just knowing what to expect, knowing what it\u2019s going to feel like, the environment, the game, the pressures, the momentum swings,\u201d McDavid said. \u201cPlayoffs is really a different game. It really is. You have to understand all of that. This group understands that.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve been through plenty of runs and played in plenty of big games. Tomorrow\u2019s no different.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Edmonton went 4-10 in series-openers in those 14 series.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe talk about lessons and we\u2019ve learned how important Game 1 is throughout the course of our playoff career,\u201d the captain said. \u201cStruggled in them for early in our career and really put an emphasis on them now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Playoff maturity is an asset, said head coach Kris Knoblauch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been through it so many times and it can be very emotional,\u201d the head coach said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of pressure on games, games that are going to overtime, a last-minute, one-goal game, stuff like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen a lot of ups and downs through our last two playoff runs and even before that. We\u2019re in a good position to handle those momentum swings.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oilers also start the playoffs healthier than a year ago when more than half a dozen skaters missed time down the regular-season stretch with injuries, including McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.<\/p>\n

Draisaitl hasn\u2019t played since March 15 though because of a knee injury. The forward will return in the first round against Anaheim, said Knoblauch.<\/p>\n

But the coach wasn\u2019t saying when Sunday as he awaited medical clearance for both Draisaitl and forward Jason Dickinson, who has missed six games with an undisclosed injury.<\/p>\n

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The Oilers didn\u2019t have Zach Hyman for last year\u2019s Cup final, or the first 19 games of this season, because of a dislocated wrist sustained in the Western Conference final against Dallas.<\/p>\n

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It was a blow to Edmonton\u2019s championship hopes as the forward had five goals and six assists and a league-leading 111 hits in 15 playoff games when he was injured.<\/p>\n

\u201cHealth is a big thing. Health throughout the playoffs is important,\u201d McDavid said. \u201cA team that can stay the healthiest usually has a good chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be healthy day one, and we\u2019re getting closer and closer to that. With that being said, we know whoever\u2019s in the lineup can get the job done. Whoever is in there, we expect to play well, play our game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goaltender Connor Ingram will make his playoff debut for Edmonton. The Oilers acquired him Oct. 1 from the Utah Mammoth for future considerations.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old from Saskatoon is light on post-season starts with just three for Nashville in 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think anything will change for me routine or anything like that wise,\u201d the goalie said Sunday. \u201cI\u2019ve said it a thousand times. My job doesn\u2019t change no matter what we\u2019re doing, so it\u2019s just another hockey game.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oilers dealt goalie Stuart Skinner, defenceman Brett Kulak and a second-round draft pick in December to acquire goalie Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh. Ingram started a dozen of Edmonton\u2019s last 15 games of the regular season.<\/p>\n

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Edmonton also recalled 34-year-old Calvin Pickard from the AHL\u2019s Bakersfield Condors ahead of the playoffs. The Oilers won six playoff games in a row with Pickard as the starter last year.<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 19, 2026.<\/p>\n

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