The Edmonton Oilers are set to face the Anaheim Ducks in Edmonton for game two, as the Oilers look to extend their series lead to 2-0 and the Ducks hope to tie it at 1-1.
In game one, it was a back and forth affair with the Oilers coughing up a two goal lead and having to comeback late, winning 4-3 narrowly skipping overtime. It was a game that saw their depth players rally to win it with Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen scoring both goals.
This game could see one of their two goal scorers miss out completely.
Oilers and Ducks navigate injuries
It has been announced Ducks' defenceman Radko Gudas has been ruled out for game two after the bruising blueliner was held to only 9:40 of ice time in game one. 25 year old defenceman Drew Helleson will fill in for the veteran, taking his spot on the backend. Gudas joins Ross Johnston, Jansen Harkins , and Petr Mrazek on the injury list.
For the Oilers, both veteran Adam Henrique and trade deadline acquisition and game one standout Dickinson will be out for game two. These are big losses that severely damper the Oilers middle ice advantage. They join Max Jones and Mattias Janmark as players who are on the sidelines for the Oilers. The latter, will be out for the season and hopes to be ready for training camp, having to undergo surgery.
Curtis Lazar returns to the lineup while Josh Samanski makes his playoff debut & Connor Ingram starts in net for the #Oilers in Game 2.@PlayAlbertaCA | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/pNhlcx1sl7
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 23, 2026
However, both Josh Samanski and Curtis Lazar will take their places in the lineup. Samanski will make his NHL postseason debut while Lazar will make his debut these playoffs and his first game in the NHL postseason since 2022-23 with the New Jersey Devils.
Both of these players have been given a fair amount of fanfare with some believeing that they deserve to be in the normal rotation for the Oilers bottom-six. They have proven capable of playing defensive minutes for the Oilers down the stretch and should be able to step in admirably and fill their shoes well.
Oilers will have to tidy up to win game two
Goaltender Connor Ingram will make his secon straight start in goal for the Oilers and hopes to have a repeat performance of game one, standing tall and being a relatively solidifying force between the pipes. He gave them a chance to win and that is all he needs to do in order for the Oilers to take a 2-0 series lead.
The Oilers will have to tighten their game up in order to win again, they cannot cough up a lead to a high offence team like the Ducks. They also will have to manage the physicality that the Ducks will be sure to bring.
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