from Travis Yost of TSN,

With a win Saturday night at Rogers Place, the Colorado Avalanche took a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers. For Jay Woodcroft’s team, it’s kitchen sink time.

Can the Oilers claw their way back into this series? You never say never in the NHL – after all, it’s one of the few North American sports leagues that has seen playoff comebacks from three-game deficits. But this is a unique challenge for Woodcroft’s team. If not because of how magnificent the Avalanche look top to bottom, then because of what’s happening within the Oilers’ lineup.

If we do a premortem on where it’s went wrong for the Oilers over the first three games, three statistical indicators stand out. In no particular order:

1. The Avalanche are dominating the Oilers at even strength.
2. The relative dominance of Connor McDavid has declined.
3. Mike Smith’s play has sharply regressed.

There are surely other factors (the Oilers are dealing with some injuries, and the penalty differential has been favourable to the Avalanche) at play. But for the sake of this piece, let’s focus on the three broader components.

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