Oilers eliminated from playoffs, lack of depth scoring among culprits

The Edmonton Oilers were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 6-5 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the best-of-7 Western Conference Final on Monday.

Edmonton (49-27-6) was the No. 2 seed in the Pacific Division. The Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings in seven games in the first round and the Calgary Flames in five games in the second round.

It was the first time the Oilers got past the first round since a seven-game loss to the Anaheim Ducks in the second round in 2017. They have been in the postseason three straight seasons.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Evander Kane, F; Josh Archibald, F; Derick Brassard, F; Colton Sceviour, F; Kyle Turris, F; Brett Kulak, D; Kris Russell, D; Mikko Koskinen, G.

Potential restricted free agents: Kailer Yamamoto, F; Jesse Puljujarvi, F; Ryan McLeod, F. 

Potential 2022 Draft picks: 4

Here are five reasons the Oilers were eliminated:

1. McDavid, Draisaitl can’t do it all

Edmonton’s dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leave as the top two scorers in the postseason. McDavid had 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists), and Draisaitl had 32 (seven goals, 25 assists) in 16 games.

McDavid had seven points (three goals, four assists), and Draisaitl had six assists in the series. The Avalanche also did a good job of taking away much of their time and space and limiting their opportunities. When the room wasn’t there, the Oilers scored a total of two goals (McDavid, McLeod) in Games 2 and 3.

Zach Hyman was the only other skater with at least four points, and two of his three goals came in Game 4.

2. They couldn’t match or contain Makar

The Oilers did not have an answer for Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, the leading scorer in the series with nine points (two goals, seven assists).

Makar played an average of 28:03 in the four games and made an impact moving the puck out of the Avalanche end and being dangerous in the attack. The Oilers could not limit Makar, and their defensemen didn’t have a counterattack of their own.

3. Power play dipped

Edmonton’s power play ranked third in the regular season (26.0 percent) behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (27.3 percent) and St. Louis Blues (26.0).

Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Oilers were 11-for-39 (28.2 percent) on the man-advantage. They were 2-for-11 (18.2 percent) in the series, and the Avalanche were 4-for-16 (25.0 percent).

4. Key players less than 100 percent

Draisaitl was hobbled with an undisclosed injury in the first round, and that impaired his skating from there. Many of his one-timers, especially on the power play, were off, which reduced his effectiveness.

Top defenseman Darnell Nurse, who led the Oilers by averaging 25:03 in the regular season and had a major impact with his physicality, was reduced to 21:07 of ice time per game in the postseason. He played with a torn hip flexor sustained against the Avalanche on April 22 and missed the final four games of the regular season.

5. Not enough saves

It was hardly Mike Smith’s fault, but the Oilers’ No. 1 goalie had a save percentage of .872 in the series, a rate that is more of a reflection of the quality chances he faced than his own performance. Though goaltending was not the main cause of the sweep, Smith was outplayed by Pavel Francouz (.908 save percentage).