No question mark around McDavid for Game 6 - BERITAJA

ANAHEIM – Edmonton Oilers skipper Connor McDavid didn’t participate successful the greeting skate up of Thursday’s must-win Game 6 for his team, but coach Kris Knoblauch said only centre Jason Dickinson was a game-time determination successful Anaheim.

The Ducks led the best-of-seven, first-round bid 3-2 pinch a chance to oust the Oilers, who reached the Stanley Cup last each of the past 2 years.

Anaheim was a triumph distant from winning their first playoff bid since 2017 erstwhile the Ducks hit Edmonton successful 7 games successful the 2nd round.

McDavid rolled his correct ankle successful the 2nd play of Game 2 erstwhile he collided pinch teammate Mattias Ekholm. The 29-year-old continued to play, but appeared uncomfortable astatine times aft that.

Knoblauch had dubbed his skipper a game-time determination up of Tuesday’s 4-1 triumph successful Edmonton to widen the series.

McDavid had 2 assists successful 24 minutes of crystal clip and said post-game, “there was ne'er a doubt” he would play.

McDavid led the NHL successful post-season points 3 of the past 4 years.

After he was held disconnected the scoresheet successful the first 2 games of the series, McDavid had a extremity and 5 assists successful the adjacent three.

Dickinson scored doubly successful the bid opener erstwhile he besides went down successful symptom aft a faceoff pinch a lower-body injury.

He returned to the lineup for Game 4 and assisted connected Edmonton’s first extremity of that game.

Oilers connected a cliff

After reaching the Stanley Cup last each of the past 2 years earlier bowing retired to the Florida Panthers some times, the Oilers faced early elimination successful the 2026 post-season, down 3 games to 2 to the Anaheim Ducks successful the first round.

“We weren’t playing our champion lucky to commencement the series, and different factors that contributed to this, but it’s not thing we thought we’d beryllium in,” Edmonton’s caput coach Kris Knoblauch said

“Definitely going into the series, it’s decidedly thing we should person known (was) a anticipation of happening conscionable because Anaheim is simply a bully team. They’ve sewage a batch of bully players. Yes, it is their first clip present pinch this group, but they’ve sewage a batch of bully threats. They’re a bully team, and they’re putting america to the brink of elimination.”

Oilers wary of Anaheim surge

The Oilers, who scored the first extremity successful each of the first 5 games of the series, yet held disconnected the Ducks’ patented late-game surge successful Game 5 successful a 4-1 triumph to debar elimination.

The Anaheim Ducks led the NHL successful comeback wins (26) and third-period comeback wins (12) successful the regular season.

The Oilers were up 2-0 aft 1 play successful Game 1, and won 4-3. Edmonton besides led 2-0 aft the first 20 minutes of Game 4, only to suffer 4-3 successful overtime.

“You’re not going to beryllium arsenic fierce 5 seconds into the crippled arsenic you are down 2 goals successful the 3rd period, but from a mentality standpoint, for judge you could play connected your toes a batch more, beryllium a batch much fierce successful definite areas without trading out,” Ducks defenceman John Carlson explained Thursday morning.

“The players are excessively bully now. You can’t really moreover waste retired successful the 3rd play arsenic overmuch without giving up two-on-ones immoderate clip there’s a small bobble of the puck, but you could return immoderate thoughts, immoderate strategies from erstwhile we are down and effort to use them correct away, and hopefully springiness a small other added boost. That’s why we get to power what we could control, and that’s to travel retired and person a bully start.”

Anaheim wasn’t capable to flooded a 3-0 shortage aft the first play of  Game 5 successful a 4-1 loss, but did outshoot Edmonton 24-8 complete the 2nd and 3rd periods arsenic the Oilers leaned heavy connected goalie Connor Ingram.

“Usually you people the first goal, you win,” Oilers guardant Zach Hyman. “Hasn’t been the case, obviously, wholly this series, but it’s important to get retired to bully starts.

“It’s important to get ahead, particularly arsenic the bid goes on, the games get tighter. Every extremity is highly important.”

Defending Edmonton’s terrifying two

With the past alteration successful Game 5 successful Edmonton, McDavid and Leon Draisaitl played the about minutes together this bid connected the aforesaid line. Draisaitl scored twice, and McDavid had 2 assists.

“They’re 2 of the biggest threats successful the league, and there’s truthful overmuch attraction to them, whether they’re unsocial aliases together,” Carlson said.

“From that standpoint, it’s not for illustration you’re looking for thing different per se, but different situations coming themselves erstwhile they’re some connected the crystal versus not, but for illustration we’ve talked about each along, there’s nary existent one-on-ones against those guys.

“It’s a group effort and surely that overmuch much accent connected it erstwhile they’re some connected the ice.”

This study by BERITAJA was first published April 30, 2026.