After dropping Games 1 and 2 of their first round series against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena, by scores of 6-5 and 6-2, respectively, the Edmonton Oilers are now faced with having to win four of the next five games in order to advance in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Related: 4 Reasons Oilers Are Trailing Kings 2-0 in First Round Series
Odds aren’t good that Edmonton can pull it off. In NHL postseason history, teams that fall behind 2-0 in a best-of-seven series rally for victory only 13.7% of the time. The Oilers have previously trailed 2-0 in a best-of-seven series on 10 occasions and came back to win just once. That happened in Round 2 of the 2006 Postseason, when Edmonton bounced back to win four straight games and eliminate the San Jose Sharks in six games.
In fact, there’s a better chance that Edmonton will get swept than make this a competitive series. Of the 10 times they’ve trailed 2-0 in a best-of-seven series, the Oilers have won Game 3 only four times, while they’ve gone on to lose the series 4-0 on five occasions.
This is the fourth series during the Connor McDavid era that the Oilers have trailed 2-0, and all four instances have come over the last five postseasons, so Edmonton’s core group of players should appreciate the gravitas of the situation they now find themselves in.
The question now is, how will they respond? Here’s a look back at the last three times that Edmonton lost the opening two contests of a series.
2021 First Round vs. Jets
The 2021 season was a strange one; because of the pandemic, divisions were realigned, the schedule was shortened, and games in Canada were played without fans in attendance. So, no one was there to personally witness history when Edmonton lost Games 1 and 2 of the first round to the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place. It was the only time ever that the Oilers have lost the first two games of a series on home ice.
Given the unprecedented circumstances, it didn’t seem far-fetched that the Oilers could achieve something out of the ordinary by going into Bell MTS Place and beating the host Jets.
Things were going great in Game 3 for the Oilers, who led 4-1 with less than nine minutes to play. But instead of Edmonton beginning an epic comeback in the series, it would be the Jets staging an epic comeback in the game, scoring three goals in a span of 183 seconds to tie things up at 4-4. Winnipeg went on to triumph in overtime when Nikolaj Ehlers scored at 9:13 of sudden death.
Game 4 was equally heartbreaking for the Oilers: they blew a lead in the third period and ultimately lost in triple overtime. Kyle Connor scored the series-clinching goal for Winnipeg at 6:52 of the third OT period, ending the third-longest game in Edmonton’s NHL postseason history.
2022 Western Conference Final vs. Avalanche
Edmonton dropped Games 1 and 2 of the 2022 conference championship on the road, falling to the Colorado Avalanche by scores of 8-6 and 4-0, respectively, at Ball Arena.
Back home before an electric crowd at Rogers Place, the Oilers jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 38 seconds into Game 3 when McDavid tallied on the opening shift. Colorado scored the next two goals to take the lead, but Edmonton fought back with a goal from Ryan McLeod to level the scoreboard in the third period. The Avs responded with a goal from JT Compher, then got an empty-netter from Mikko Rantanen to win the game 4-2 and take a stranglehold on the series.
The Oilers weren’t about to fold the tent, and Game 4 at Rogers Place turned out to be a wild affair. The Oilers led 4-2 in the third period, before Colorado buried three goals in a span of 5:49 to jump in front 5-4 with just over five minutes remaining.
Oilers forward Zack Kassian scored at 16:38 to make it 5-5, momentarily keeping Edmonton’s season alive — for one more intermission, at least. Many fans hadn’t even made it back to their seats when Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen scored only 79 seconds into overtime to deliver an Avalanche sweep.
2024 Stanley Cup Final vs. Panthers
After finally making it back to the championship series for the first time in 18 years, the Oilers were flat in Games 1 and 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Florida Panthers by scores of 3-0 and 4-1, respectively, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.
Edmonton fans were completely deflated in Game 3 at Rogers Place, watching their team fall behind 4-1 after 40 minutes. The Oilers tried to rally, scoring twice in the third period, and while they couldn’t find the equalizer, their late surge seemed to spark something.
The Oilers came out firing on all cylinders in Game 4, pummeling Florida 8-1 to record their largest margin of victory in a postseason contest since 1990. It was the first time in franchise history that Edmonton had won Game 4 when trailing the series 3-0.
Edmonton then went into Sunrise and snatched Game 5 from the Panthers, prevailing 5-3. Back at Rogers Place for Game 6, the Oilers posted an emphatic 5-1 victory, becoming only the 10th team in Stanley Cup Playoff history to force Game 7 after trailing the series 3-0.
The Oilers would almost complete the miracle comeback but came up just short of capturing their first championship since 1990, losing the seventh and deciding game 2-1 at Amerant Bank Arena.
Edmonton’s current lineup includes a dozen players who were part of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Did the Oilers learn something from that experience that can be applied now? They certainly know they don’t want to fall behind 3-0 again. That means playing their best tonight (April 25) when they host the Kings for Game 3 at Rogers Place.
