The Edmonton Oilers entered this season with high hopes to make a Stanley Cup run after finally getting the Connor McDavid contract extension settled, but things didn’t go in accordance with plan this season. A tumultuous campaign got here to a crashing halt on Thursday night, when the Anaheim Geese knocked the Oilers out of the playoffs with a 5-2 win in Game 6.
After reaching back-to-back Stanley Cup finals within the last two seasons and falling short each times, this can be a very disappointing result for the Oilers. After the loss, Oilers star Connor McDavid made a harsh admission about this edition of this Edmonton team.
“We were a median team all 12 months. Once you’re a median team with high expectations, you are going to be disenchanted.”
Connor McDavid speaks with the media following the top of the Oilers season pic.twitter.com/e4XcMmwRzu
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 1, 2026
“We were a median team all 12 months,” McDavid said. “Once you’re a median team with high expectations, you are going to be disenchanted. We just never found it.”
The Oilers appeared to have some fight coming out of Game 5, once they began off hot and ran away with a victory despite trailing 3-1 within the series. Nevertheless, Game 6 was a unique story, because the Geese raced out to a 3-1 lead in the primary period and were never threatened in the sport.
McDavid played through an ankle injury on this series that visibly slowed him down, and that lack of production showed up on the stat sheet. In six games, the three-time Hart Trophy winner scored only one goal and had five assists. While one point per game is not a foul clip for many players, it’s well below what fans have come to expect from McDavid. Edmonton was also minus-8 within the series when their superstar was on the ice.
On the opposite side, Anaheim gets its first playoff series win since 2017 and can advance to the second round to tackle either the Vegas Golden Knights or the Utah Mammoth.
As for the Oilers, there will likely be quite a lot of questions coming out of their series. McDavid has two years left under contract when his extension kicks in next season, so the clock is ticking for this roster to enhance. If not, among the finest players in NHL history could possibly be on the move soon.
The Edmonton Oilers entered this season with high hopes to make a Stanley Cup run after finally getting the Connor McDavid contract extension settled, but things didn’t go in accordance with plan this season. A tumultuous campaign got here to a crashing halt on Thursday night, when the Anaheim Geese knocked the Oilers out of the playoffs with a 5-2 win in Game 6.