The Edmonton Oilers are on the cusp of getting bounced out of the first round, and it’s really not looking pretty. The stakes couldn’t be higher as Connor McDavid and co. head back to Rogers Place to try and mount a comeback in the face of the impossible. But to do that, Edmonton will have to put a super contentious Game 4 decision behind them.
With the latest 4-3 win, the Anaheim Ducks have wreaked havoc on the Oilers’ postseason plans, but the OT decision on Sunday has not been without controversy.
Edmonton Oilers’ Mattias Ekholm Disagrees with Anaheim Ducks’ OT Goal
The Oilers’ playoff odds looked promising when they claimed the 4-3 win in the Game 1 showdown against the Ducks, but since then, it has all gone downhill. The Ducks, who are battling the Oilers after a long playoff drought, have flattened the experienced postseason performers with relative ease.
Anaheim enjoys a comfortable 3-1 margin in Round 1 so far, and unless Edmonton makes a comeback in the next game, the Ducks will have secured a ticket to the Conference Semifinal. However, per Mattias Ekholm, Anaheim was hardly entitled to their latest OT win at Honda Center.
“I don’t know how they see it as a conclusive goal. I just don’t. To be honest, maybe there’s somebody that can prove me otherwise. It doesn’t really matter, to be honest. They call it a goal and we’ll have to buy with that,” the defenseman stated in a post-game interaction.
“I don’t know how they see it as a conclusive goal.”
Mattias Ekholm disagrees with the goal decision in overtime of Game 4. pic.twitter.com/qP9c4b4B2L
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 27, 2026
The Oilers will have to brush off the feeling that they were wronged in Game 4. The way Ryan Poehling scored the winning goal was bound to arise suspicion. Following his face-off win, Poehling sent a pass towards the crease that deflected off Darnell Nurse’s skate and was sent just across the goal line by Tristan Jarry’s skate.
As unconvincing as the goal may have been for the Oilers, video footage confirmed that there was, in fact, no reason to be in two minds about Anaheim’s victory. Nonetheless, HC Kris Knoblauch remains far from convinced.
“I can’t see it going in. I can’t see the line. … The (initial) goal call on the ice was probably about 60 to 90 seconds after (the shot), maybe even more,” said Knoblauch expressing his qualms, per Associated Press.
The Oilers could have finished the game in regulation had Lukas Dostal not made a cinematic save to foil Connor McDavid’s attempt at a winning goal during a late breakaway. Dostal stopped the Oilers captain twice in the final minutes of the regulation, forcing the game into overtime.
Dostal’s immense contribution to Game 4 is not lost on his teammates. Cutter Gauthier admired the goalie’s impressive ability to navigate high-strung situations. “He’s the rock of our team. It doesn’t really surprise me how well he performs in high-pressure situations like that,” the forward said, per Dan Arritt.
Right now, Edmonton is in a highly disadvantageous situation. Despite the Ducks lacking McDavid and company’s vast playoff experience, they have managed to outscore the blue and orange squad significantly, putting them in a very tight spot. The Oilers are officially in do-or-die mode.
DON’T MISS: Connor McDavid Puts Cards on the Table Over Tristan Jarry’s Performance in Oilers’ Game 4 Loss
