Calvin Pickard chased, and more: 3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers lost 6-2 to Anaheim Ducks

The struggles continue for the Edmonton Oilers after falling 6-2 against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night at Rogers Place. The loss was the sixth in their last seven contests. The Oilers have a 3-7-0 record in the team's last 10 games.

The Ducks ultimately cruised past the Oilers, who couldn’t seem to get much going. Leon Draisaitl extended his current point streak to 12, with a power-play goal, to open the scoring for the Edmonton Oilers. Connor McDavid also scored a power-play goal for the Oilers late in the game.

Meanwhile, Mason MacTavish scored twice for the Anaheim Ducks, with Leo Carlsson, Sam Colangelo, Ryan Strome, and Alex Killorn getting the other goals for Anaheim.

Here’s a look at the three key reasons that contributed to the Edmonton Oilers losing to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.

3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers lost to Anaheim Ducks

#3 Lack of depth scoring

A recurring theme for the Edmonton Oilers has been the lack of depth scoring. The Oilers have gotten scoring from depth players like Adam Henrique and Corey Perry in recent games. However, the depth did not come through for the Oilers against the Ducks.

Draisaitl and McDavid were left on their own to rally against Anaheim. Despite each getting a goal, the duo was not able to get the team past Anaheim on Tuesday night.

#2 First-period nightmare

The game got off to a good start for the Oilers. They had a strong start, eventually taking the lead at the 10-minute mark with Draisaitl’s 45th of the season.

But then, the wheels came off. The Ducks scored twice within a span of about 90 seconds in the first period. They then added two more goals roughly 12 seconds apart, late in the period. The debacle left the Oilers down 4-1 after just 20 minutes. By the second intermission, the scoreline was 5-1 and practically out of reach at that point.

While the Edmonton Oilers attempted to rally in the third period, it was not nearly enough for them to make a comeback in the game.

#1 Calvin Pickard chased

Calvin Pickard earned his second straight start after putting in a 35-save performance against the Carolina Hurricanes on March 1. However, Pickard was lit up like a Christmas tree, giving up four goals on 11 shots in the first period. By the time the dust settled, Pickard was gone and replaced by Stuart Skinner after the first period. Skinner wasn’t all that much better, giving up two goals on 16 shots.

All told, Pickard had a disappointing outing. The Oilers need reliable goaltending, especially as the season heads down to the wire. They will be back on the ice on Thursday night as they take on the Montreal Canadiens at home before wrapping up their homestand on Saturday night against the Dallas Stars.