The NHL's most high-flying offensive series in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs is all tied up 1-1 after two games.
After a nail-biting 4-3 win in game one, the Edmonton Oilers cannot hold onto their lead and fail to regain it in game two and fall 6-4 to the Anaheim Ducks. Now, the series is tied 1-1 as both teams head to Anaheim, California for the next two games.
This puts the team into a 'must-win' type of situation where the next two games become incredibly important to the series, especially as the Oilers forego home ice advantage.
It was not all doom and gloom however, as Oilers rookie Josh Samanski was able to net his first career playoff goal in his first career postseason game.
Oilers cough up another lead
One of the problems that is presenting itself early on in this series is that the Oilers have issues holding onto their leads. In game one, after going up 2-0 heading into the second period, they allowed three unanswered goals and had to fight back, scoring the game winner with just under two minutes remaining in the third period.
In game two, Leon Draisaitl put the Oilers up 1-0 just before the midway point of the first frame but when Cutter Gauthier scored to tie it up at 1-1, the Oilers never saw the lead again as they would eventually lose this game 6-4.
The Oilers will need to tighten up if they hope to win this series, especially as they will be on the road for the next two games and must win at least one unless they want to be playing with their backs against the ropes.
McDavid has failed to register a point so far
Two games into this series, the relatively weak defensive Ducks have been able to hold the NHL's Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid off of the scoresheet. Given his performance in the regular season, the Oilers captain was expected to dominate but that has not been the case so far just two games in.
It does not help either that according to Moneypuck.com and their expected goals model, McDavid has only accounted for 0.324 xG and 0.361 xG in games one and two, respectively. Although he was the second highest xG producer in game two for the Oilers, across both teams he ranks quite poorly on the series as a whole.
McDavid snapping out of his slump will be crucial for the Oilers' playoff success, especially given the relatively weak depth down the lineup.
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