The Edmonton Oilers, along with the rest of the Pacific Division, have left certainty until the final games of the year in terms of playoff opponents. There is a chance, even today, with most teams having only 1 game left to play, that the Oilers could face the Anaheim Ducks, the LA Kings, the Utah Mammoth, and even, though unlikely, the Colorado Avalanche. The question now is, what's the best path to another Stanley Cup Final?
The Anaheim Ducks are a team that took a big step forward this year. Their young and talented roster hasn't had very much postseason experience collectively, but they're going to be excited to be there. Most of the significant upsets happen in Round 1, so while Edmonton should be favoured, they can't be counting their chickens (ducks?) just yet.
Offensive comparisons
A healthy Oiler team is clearly the better of the two clubs offensively. Anaheim's best offensive threat, Cutter Gauthier, has managed 68 points this season, and while his 40 goals are a decent total, the overall comparison to Connor McDavid, who leads Edmonton's offense once again, isn't close. Obviously, it's worth noting that the Oilers have not been healthy in the final months of the season, and it remains to be seen if they'll ice their full lineup when the Game 1 puck drops.
Anaheim's strength has been team offense. They have 7 players with 50 points or more, while Edmonton only has 5 (and is missing two of those, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman). A series that goes longer, allowing more ice time to depth players, as well as strategical coaching adjustments, could start to flow in the Ducks' favour.
Defense and goalies
Honestly this is the real question mark. With Connor Ingram firmly set as the starting goalie, Edmonton's recent netminding woes seem to have lessened, but Ingram's health has been a worry, and none of the backup options look particularly comforting if Ingram isn't good to go.
The good news is Anaheim's goaltending situation doesn't seem much better. Lukas Dostal is the clear starter, and he's managed 30 wins this season, but his save percentage of .888 and goals against average of 3.10 are horrendous, we're talking Tristan Jarry numbers here, and surely are connected to the Ducks being minus 16 in goal differential this season.
Overall, this does seem like a matchup that favors the more seasoned and more talented Oilers. Anaheim's late season struggles are typical of a young team that hasn't quite figured out how to handle high pressure situations yet. The Ducks will be a threat to win the division again next year and the Oilers will need to take them seriously if they want to see the next round.
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