The Edmonton Oilers expected to put together a third consecutive deep postseason run after back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final, but their season ended abruptly in the first round.
Edmonton dropped the series against the Anaheim Ducks in six games, including a definitive 5-2 loss in Game 6, and with that, the Oilers completed their earliest postseason exit since 2021.
After the elimination, Oilers center Leon Draisaitl pointed to injuries as one of the reasons the team couldn't perform to the top of its level.
“It’s hard,” Draisaitl said. “Our centers 1, 2, 3 are playing through stuff. But at the end of the day, you have to find ways to win games in any way. You have to grind one out, you have to defend one out. Injuries, they (stink), and it hit us at a bad time, certainly.”
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Speaking at the final media availability of the season on Saturday, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch provided clarity on that.
Knoblauch revealed that Connor McDavid played through “fractures in the foot, ankle area” during the playoffs. The coach added that McDavid was “playing through a lot of pain.”
McDavid was listed as a game-time decision for Games 5 and 6 but ultimately suited up in both games, averaging more than 23 minutes per game in the series as a whole and not missing a single outing.
“It affected their play but a lot of admiration for them for wanting to be out there and contributing as much as they did in the playoffs,” Knoblauch said.
Despite the ample playing time, McDavid's production dipped compared to expectations. McDavid scored just one goal and assisted on five more, posting six total points and a minus-eight rating across six games.
The captain also acknowledged the Oilers' injuries after the Game 6 loss, but avoided using them as an excuse for the early postseason elimination.
“Too hurt, too soon. The first round is always tough. It’s always chaotic, and it’s tough to play through things so early on as many guys did in here,” McDavid said. “That being said, it’s not an excuse, either. We expected to have a longer run than we did. It is what it is.”
