When the Oilers matched up against the Ducks for the first round, I was somewhat confident Edmonton would be able to handle this young, fast Anaheim team. However, after four games, they are down 3-1 in the series and have allowed 20 goals against. The Oilers simply can't defend and the reason are numerous.
Goaltending
Connor Ingram did his best in the first three games, but it was simply not good enough. He's a reliable backup but in big playoff situations, he does not have the X factor to make the big save at the right time. Now the d in front of him aren't doing him any favours, but the theme continues for the Oilers when it comes to goalies.
Tristan Jarry had a very good game last night and I'm sure he swoulsd like that fourth goal in overtime back. Other than that he was solid. However, can he consistently play at that level? I was against trading for Jarry because it seemed that we were just getting another inconsistent goalie in return. This has been the case so far, and one has to wonder if keeping Skinner would have been a better plan. Hopefully Jarry can keep his solid play going, but goaltending will always be a question mark for Edmonton.
Penalties and the PK
The PK sucks so it is very important for there Oilers to stay out of the box. Penalties will happen, but taking tripping calls in the offensive zone just won't cut it.
Getting back to the PK, the players and the coaching staff need to figure this out. The Oilers are often scrambling and are behind the Ducks puck movement, They need to calm down and not waste energy skating this way and that. Eliminate space for their shooters and rely on your goaltender. (But can they? perhaps thats why they are whizzing around, it looks like panic)
5-5 coverage and breaking out
Much like the PK, Edmonton often finds themselves scrambling in their zone, resulting in lost coverage. They need to focus more on defending and not just getting the puck quickly to attempt a home run pass. I find they put the cart before the horse in their mentality as when they are defending, they have offence in the back of their minds.
Due to this, the breakout if often disjointed, hesitant and ineffective. This was evident on the overtime goal when Frederic had the puck on the left wall but turned it over, relsulting in the OT goal.
On a play like that just chip it out, no need to skate it there. The Oilers need to stop making plays that help the other team, plain and simple. They need to buy into this mentality, as I find they have a really good team, just really bad structure. The coachs need to step up.