{"id":628981,"date":"2026-04-26T02:43:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T02:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/628981\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T02:43:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T02:43:12","slug":"oilers-seek-to-shore-up-porous-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/628981\/","title":{"rendered":"Oilers seek to shore up porous defence"},"content":{"rendered":"

ANAHEIM \u2013 NHL star Connor McDavid and top forward Leon Draisaitl were given a breather Saturday while the Edmonton Oilers plotted ways to plug a leaky defence.<\/p>\n

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The Oilers, who reached the Stanley Cup final each of the last two years, trailed the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 in their best-of-seven, first-round series.<\/p>\n

Edmonton fell 7-4 to the Ducks in Game 3 at the Honda Center. Seven goals in one playoff game was a Ducks record.<\/p>\n

Game 4 is Sunday in Anaheim followed by Game 5 in Edmonton on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Edmonton has have given up 16 goals to the speedy, young Ducks over the first three games of the series.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe simplicity, the hardness, the attention to defensive hockey hasn\u2019t been very good, and we need to get back to that simplicity and hardness to our game,\u201d Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said Saturday at the Honda Center.<\/p>\n

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The Oilers were particularly porous in the latter stages of Game 3. They couldn\u2019t stay above the puck enough to protect a 3-2 lead in the second period.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, we\u2019ve got to just manage the puck better,\u201d said Edmonton defenceman Evan Bouchard. \u201cThey\u2019re putting up a lot of goals. We know we can score. We know they can score, so it\u2019s a matter of keeping the puck out of our end and our net.\u201d<\/p>\n

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McDavid and Draisaitl took Saturday off for maintenance, Knoblauch said.<\/p>\n

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Draisaitl, who missed the last 14 games of the regular season with a knee injury, led the Oilers in post-season points with a goal and five assists.<\/p>\n

The line of Draisaitl, Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin has been Edmonton\u2019s top performer in the series, but there\u2019s a drop-off after that.<\/p>\n

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Whether McDavid is dealing with an issue beyond his ankle roll in Game 2 or not, the Ducks smell blood in the water around Edmonton\u2019s captain,<\/p>\n

Anaheim has largely contained a player who led the NHL playoffs in points three of the last three years, but hasn\u2019t been on his usual cracking playoff pace to start this year\u2019s post-season.<\/p>\n

McDavid\u2019s first goal of the series Friday was also Edmonton\u2019s first power-play goal. He assisted on another goal for his first multi-point game this post-season.<\/p>\n

But McDavid was also minus-4 in the game and minus-6 in the series alongside Bouchard also at minus-6.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrying to make too many fancy plays, myself especially,\u201d Bouchard said.<\/p>\n

Top-line winger Zach Hyman was minus-5 and shutdown defenceman Mattias Ekholm minus-2 after three games.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need our best guys to be our best guys and they\u2019ve carried the load so much and that\u2019s forwards and defence,\u201d Knoblauch said. \u201cOverall, collectively we need to be better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Goaltender Connor Ingram\u2019s numbers weren\u2019t flattering, but there was little he could do in the face of Anaheim\u2019s multiple odd-man rushes in Game 3.<\/p>\n

When asked if Ingram would start again Sunday, Knoblauch replied \u201cwe haven\u2019t decided.\u201d Tristan Jarry was Ingram\u2019s backup the home stretch of the regular season.<\/p>\n

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Third-line centre Jason Dickinson skated Saturday. After scoring two goals in a 4-3 victory in Game 1, he was scratched the next two with a lower-body injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just been killing me to watch,\u201d Dickinson said. \u201cToday went really well, but this has kind of been a day-to-day thing that I\u2019m really trying to manage as best I can.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I wake up tomorrow and feel good, I\u2019m definitely playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Oilers trailed the Kings 2-1 in the first round last year and won the series in six games. Edmonton was down 2-1 to the Canucks in a second-round series in 2024 and took it in six.<\/p>\n

Edmonton dropped the first three games of the 2024 Stanley Cup final to the Florida Panthers, but forced a Game 7.<\/p>\n

So there\u2019s enough players in Edmonton\u2019s lineup who know what it takes to recover when trailing in a series. It\u2019s a matter of applying it now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in a fight right now,\u201d Bouchard said. \u201cWe know we\u2019ve got better to play, but \u2026 we\u2019ve been in worse spots before. It\u2019s time to take a step forward as a group.\u201d<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2026.<\/p>\n

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