The Edmonton Oilers went down early in this series 3-1 and have been playing with their backs against the wall. They will have to mitigate the Ducks who have had their number throughout the first round series.
Jackson Lacombe
A defenseman leading his team in postseason points production? What is this, the 2006 Edmonton Oilers?
Jackson Lacombe is showing himself to be a heck of a second round draft pick for the Anaheim Ducks. He put up a very respectable 58 points in the regular season, and now leads the Ducks in playoff points. He's also a single point off the league lead (jointly held by Leon Draisaitl and Kiril Kaprizov). Impressive numbers for a player the Ducks see as a cornerstone of their franchise for years to come.
Lacombe signed an 8-year deal at $9 million per season that will kick in for 2026/27. He's averaging 27 minutes of ice time in the Round 1 series and absolutely owning his competition during his playtime. He boasts an incredible 65% Corsi, and one doesn't need a deep knowledge of advanced statistics to understand that any metric that is 2/3s in your team's favor is a good one.
Alex Killorn
While Anaheim has plenty of young, emerging talent, it has been former Stanley Cup champ and grizzled veteran Alex Killorn who has been a consistent difference maker in the series. Killorn may be 36, but he has played in all situations, killing penalties and scoring powerplay goals and the Ducks have surely benefited from his experience in the early days of this playoff series.
Players like Beckett Sennecke and Mason Mactavish may hit their stride if Anaheim puts Edmonton away and continues deeper into the playoffs, but the boost provided by Killorn, with 3 goals and 3 assists already, has given the youngsters the time to acclimate to playoff expectations.
Lukas Dostal
If the Oilers manage to chase Lukas Dostal out of the Ducks' net in consecutive games, that may trigger the sort of goaltending controversy that no NHL team wants as it approaches a series deciding Game 7. Dostal has been beatable, but his ability to make timely saves has helped Anaheim find its way to the advantage it currently holds as we approach Game 6.
Scoring early on Dostal, and potentially seeing Ville Husso in relief a result, should be a huge advantage for Edmonton. Husso did not have good regular season numbers, and the more shots he faces, the more likely it becomes that he regresses to his averages, which include a very beatable .884 save percentage and a 3.25 goals against average. Edmonton's own netminder, Connor Ingram, will have to play well too, but with goal support, the balance should tip in favor of the Oilers.
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