Nine years have passed since Connor McDavid watched Ryan Kesler sink to his knees in the Honda Center crease and Corey Perry ended the Oilers' 2017 playoff run in heartbreaking double overtime. The memory of that Game 5 — a 3-0 Edmonton lead evaporating in the final three minutes — has never left. Now, in the spring of 2026, the universe has handed McDavid another shot at the franchise that first gave him a playoff scar.
The Anaheim Ducks are a different team entirely. Gone are Getzlaf, Perry, and the veterans who tormented Edmonton. In their place stands a core of electrifying young talent — Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke — backed by a veteran supporting cast and the master tactician Joel Quenneville behind the bench. This isn't your father's Ducks team. But neither is this the Oilers squad that collapsed in 2017. McDavid is 29, battle-tested, a three-time Hart Trophy finalist and the reigning Art Ross champion with 138 points. He wants a Cup more than ever. And he wants this one
EK's 4 Big Playoff Factors
Oilkers Take 3 of 4 Ek's Factors....
BIG QUESTION:
WILL LEON DRAISAITL PLAY?
This is the question that defines Edmonton's ceiling in this series. Leon Draisaitl — 35 goals, 97 points in just 65 games despite missing time with a lower-body injury sustained March 16 — has been the Oilers' most physically dominant forward all season. With 16 power-play goals and an elite two-way game, his absence fundamentally changes the calculus for Edmonton. Without him, the McDavid line loses its best wingman, and the penalty kill loses a key piece.
The Oilers say Draisaitl will be re-evaluated ahead of Game 1. The most likely scenario is a game-time call. If he plays through pain, Edmonton becomes the heavy favorite to win this series. If he sits, Anaheim's defensive-minded system suddenly looks a lot more competitive. The German sniper's availability is the central storyline of the entire Western Conference first round.
STORYLINES
1. MCDAVID'S 2017 UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Connor McDavid was 20 years old when Ryan Kesler crashed the crease with 15 seconds left in Game 5 and the Ducks overcame a 3-0 deficit to ultimately eliminate Edmonton. That moment — widely considered one of the most controversial non-calls in recent playoff history — lit a fire that still burns. McDavid has returned to the Stanley Cup Final twice since (2024, 2025) and lost both times. He hasn't forgotten 2017. This series is personal in a way that transcends statistics.
2. ANAHEIM'S YOUTH EXPLOSION VS. BATTLE-TESTED OILERS
The Ducks enter the playoffs as one of the youngest teams in the field, led by Cutter Gauthier (22, 41 goals), Leo Carlsson (21, 67 points), and Beckett Sennecke (20, 60 points) — a trio that was essentially in high school when McDavid won his first Art Ross Trophy. This is playoff baptism by fire for three of the most exciting young forwards in the league. Will youth be served, or will Edmonton's playoff experience — five straight playoff appearances, two consecutive Cup Final runs — prove the difference?
3. THE GREATEST POWER PLAY ON EARTH
Edmonton's 30.63% power play percentage was the best in the NHL this season by a significant margin. In a seven-game playoff series, that advantage is compounding. McDavid, Draisaitl (if healthy), Bouchard quarterbacking from the point — this unit can swing a game in 90 seconds. Anaheim's 76.36% penalty kill is below league average, meaning the Ducks must stay out of the box at all costs. Every reckless stick infraction could be a death sentence in this matchup.
4. JOEL QUENNEVILLE: HOCKEY'S MOST DECORATED COACH RETURNS TO THE SPOTLIGHT
Joel Quenneville — three Stanley Cup rings with Chicago (2010, 2013, 2015), 969 NHL regular-season wins, second only to Scotty Bowman all-time — is back on the biggest stage. After his absence from the league following the 2021 Chicago investigation, Quenneville took over the Ducks rebuild and has molded this young group into a genuine playoff team. Facing Kris Knoblauch's Oilers, this is a fascinating coaching matchup: the proven dynasty builder against the up-and-coming tactician who inherited one of the NHL's most complex rosters.
5. GOALTENDING: THE GREAT UNKNOWN
Neither team goes into this series with elite goaltending. Connor Ingram (.899, 2.60 GAA in 30 starts) has been Edmonton's most reliable option but is not a proven playoff performer. Lukas Dostal (.888, 3.10 GAA) is young and talented but can get beaten in high-event games. With both teams possessing offensive firepower, goaltending may be the critical wildcard — and the first goalie to steal a game at home could define the series arc. Don't be surprised if this turns into a high-scoring shootout.
6. CAPTAIN GUDAS VS. MCDAVID: PHYSICALITY MEETS BRILLIANCE
Radko Gudas — the Ducks' captain who plays with a snarl and brings physical presence the Ducks' defensive corps desperately needs — is listed as a game-time decision himself with a lower-body injury. If Gudas plays, the Ducks have the physicality to make McDavid's life uncomfortable. If he sits, their defensive depth becomes a genuine concern. Meanwhile, Evan Bouchard (95 points, Oilers' best offensive defenseman) vs. Anaheim's emerging Jackson LaCombe (58 points, 24:15 per night) is a fascinating subplot in its own right.
What Will Happen?
EDMONTON IN 6
OILERS ADVANCE TO ROUND 2 — MCDAVID FINISHES WHAT 2017 STARTED
Edmonton's power play is simply too lethal for Anaheim's below-average penalty kill to contain. McDavid and Bouchard can generate power-play goals even when the score is tied in the third period of a Game 7, and that ability alone makes the Oilers the favorite in any seven-game series. The Draisaitl injury cloud creates genuine uncertainty, but if he plays through the pain — as elite players tend to do in the playoffs — Edmonton's depth proves too much for Anaheim's youth to overcome. Gauthier, Carlsson, and Sennecke will have their moments and this won't be the blowout many predict. But McDavid doesn't allow unfinished business to remain unfinished for long. Oilers in six, with at least one Game 7 heartbeat moment along the way.