One position is killing the Oilers just now, and it’s not Edmonton’s goalie.
Instead it’s Edmonton’s wingers. Outside of Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen, they are struggling to make a positive impact in the 2026 playoffs so far.
Podkolzin and Kapanen are crushing it on a line with Leon Draisaitl, playing some of their best hockey of the year.
Everyone else? They’ve taken both a step back from the regular season and from past play performances.
Last year, as a group, the wingers were on average +1.5 individual Grade A shots at even strength per game, meaning they individually created on average 1.5 more Grade A shots than they made mistakes on Grade A shots against.
That +1.5 is a good numer for a winger. If a winger is at that level, he’s playing like a solid Top 6 forward.
This year Edmonton’s wingers have been about half as good, just +0.86 per game on average, a mediocre number for a winger.
Any winger with less than +1.0 Grade A shots per game is in danger of being bumped out of the lineup. Edmonton’s entire crew is below that threshold so far this year, even with Kapanen at +2.5 per game and Podkolzin at +2.19 per game.
Every other Oilers winger has been mediocre to poor, and that includes Zach Hyman, who was arguably Edmonton’s best forward last year in the playoffs. He was +3.09 individual Grade A shots per game last year. That is a number indicating an outstanding level of play, a Conn Smythe level.
This year he’s at +0.68. That’s a number you expect from a fourth liner in danger of being sent to the AHL. For all that, it’s the third highest number for an Oilers winger in these playoffs.
Of course Hyman is just now coming back from injury, but he’s way off his “A” game, as are Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jack Roslovic and Matt Savoie, who is a ugly, ugly, ugly -0.38 per game.
Players like RNH, Roslovic and Savoie are smaller, skill players, the kind who can often get pushed out of the game in the rougher, more physical playoffs. It’s happening to some extent to each of them this year.
3 games playoffs
As for the other positions, McDavid has been good at even strength, he just hasn’t been able to command the game since he twisted his ankle. His scoring burst has gone missing. But he can still pass like a superstar and he’s been generally conscientious on defence, even as he made a few ugly turnovers that are now seared into everyone’s memory and might well define his play in the 2026 playoffs if Edmonton can’t turn this around.
On defence, Jake Walman and Ty Emberson have stepped up big time and should get more icetime. Darnell Nurse has been the same Darnell Nurse we’ve seen in other playoffs, not nearly as good as he plays in the regular season. Evan Bouchard’s play has also crashed compared to the regular season. Ekholm and Murphy have generally been solid.
Edmonton’s centres and d-man haven’t been as good as they were last season in the playoffs, but we haven’t seen a massive crash in performance from them like we’ve seen from the Oilers wingers.
If the Oilers are to win, a handful of wingers now pushed out to the fringe of the game are going to have to bash down the door and get in the game. There’s a chance that will happen, but they need to grab their battering rams and start hammering, as the hour is getting late.
Finally, when it comes to Connor Ingram in net, he hasn’t been great, but he’s done enough to give Edmonton a chance to win every game, even as Anaheim has had more Grade A shots every single game. Ingram has not stolen a game, but he hasn’t lost one for the Oilers either. The two losses are far more on the wingers than they are on him.
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