EDMONTON – Yet again, not how they drew it up.
But, this time, not a case of too little, too late. The execution simply wasn’t good enough.
The Edmonton Oilers are going back to their home ice down 0-2 in their opening playoff round against the Los Angeles Kings. I’d wager a guess that’s not how they wanted to start this series.
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In order for the Oilers to make it past the opening round of the playoffs, these four are going to have to step up in a major way to prevent going gently into that good night.
In the words of Connor McDavid himself, “dig the f--- in, right f------ now.”
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EDMONTON – They play seven games for a reason.
Darnell Nurse
There are no two ways about it, not having Mattias Ekholm on the back end for the Oilers is hurting them badly. However, by committee, the defenders are doing their best to shoulder the load left in his absence.
Darnell Nurse has done well with his increased responsibility. However, in Game 2, he was on the ice for all three powerplay goals against. Not all of them were his fault, but as a unit the penalty kill has been brutal and cost them Game 2.
Evan Bouchard
Evan Bouchard has been doing what he needs to in the offensive zone. He is tied with Leon Draisaitl for second on the team in playoff points. However, there is one area of his game that he needs to clean up moving forward.
Every offensive player will cough up the puck to the opposition, but a defensive zone giveaway is inexcusable. McDavid has three giveaways in two games, but none were in the D-zone. Bouchard has eight giveaways, three of them in the Oilers end of the rink. If he can simplify his breakouts and get the puck out of the zone quicker, this area of his game should sort itself out.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
It almost feels criminal to critize any part of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins game right now. He’s the longest serving Oilers player and contributes in every single facet of the game. But that’s why the Oilers need more from him.
The only Oilers player who has been on the ice for more powerplay goals against than Nurse is Nugent-Hopkins. The veteran centerman has been on the penalty kill for four powerplay goals against. Collectively, (as mentioned above) the penalty kill needs to be a lot better for the Oilers to have a hope and a prayer of making it past the Kings.
To add insult to injury, Nugent-Hopkins hasn’t contributed much offensively in the first two games of the series, and currently sits with zero points.
Stuart Skinner & Calvin Pickard
It might be cheating to lump these two together, but it serves a purpose. The Oilers need to get more stops out of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard.
And they will be the first people to tell you that.
Skinner has an .810 save percentage (SV%) and a 6.11 goals against average (GAA). Obviously, this isn’t good enough to win hockey games in the regular season, let alone the playoffs.
Of the 17 goalies who have played in the 2025 playoffs, Skinner has the worst Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) with -4.7.
Game 3 is on Friday night, and it’s arguably the most important game of the season for the Oilers. We will see if any of these players step up their performance when it matters the most.
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