Edmonton heads into Game 4 of its first-round series against Anaheim on Sunday night at Honda Center trailing 2-1 after a 7-4 loss in Game 3 on Friday. The Oilers were scheduled to face the Ducks at 7:30pm MT, with the game set for Sportsnet and the Oilers Radio Network, including 880 CHED.
After Saturday’s practice, Darnell Nurse said the Oilers are calm and ready for each moment, while Jason Dickinson kept the mood even shorter: “No panic.” Dickinson, who fully participated in practice at Honda Center, said the only thing that matters is winning the next game and not letting the situation cloud the bench. Head coach Kris Knoblauch said Dickinson was a game-time decision.
Nurse said Edmonton has already lived through this kind of pressure and found a way through it. The Oilers rallied from 2-0 down against Los Angeles in the first round last year, came back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits against Vancouver in the 2024 second round, and forced a Game 7 against Florida in the Stanley Cup Final before losing. Evan Bouchard said the group tends to play its best when it is backed against the wall, and Vasily Podkolzin said the team needs to keep what has worked in the first three games while cleaning up defensively.
The Ducks’ speed has been the main reason Edmonton has fallen behind in the series, and the Oilers have also been hurt by their own mistakes, which have pushed their goals-against total higher than they want. That leaves Sunday night as a test of whether the Oilers can turn another familiar scramble into another comeback, or whether Anaheim’s 2-1 series lead starts to look more serious than Edmonton can afford.
