It was a magnificent comeback win in Game 4 against the Kings, the kind of game people will talk about for a long time. That being said it was also as a whole one the worst game they have played in this series.
We've spoken here at length about how Edmonton needs to stop finding ways to shoot themselves in the foot in this series. In every game the Oilers have taken at least one undisciplined penalty. The team has had some great periods and followed them up by poor efforts where you're left wondering why they have gotten away from the things that made them successful.
No team in this series yet has won two games in a row. Edmonton is looking to change that tonight on home ice and if they do they will have a 3-2 series lead forcing the Kings into an elimination scenario. If the Oilers lose it will be reversed with them going into LA hoping to avoid elimination.
Leon Draisaitl has been on the ice for all 14 EV goals the Oilers have scored in this post-season. That is a damning and impressive stat. The Foegele McLeod and Ryan line has looked really good but they need to start finding a way to cash their chances. I'm hoping Foegele finds a way to get onto the scoresheet in tonight's game.
After tonight the Oilers and Kings won't play again until Saturday due to scheduling issues in LA due to the NBA Playoffs. I wonder how Jay Woodcroft will approach this game knowing his players have almost four days off between games. I wouldn't be surprised to see McDavid and Draisaitl play heavy minutes together in this game, at least to start.
Hyman and Kane have gotten onto the scoresheet. Now eyes are turning to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who has just lacked much of anything in this series. I'm never going to expect Nuge to be the one laying big hits left and right but I'd like to see him finish a few more checks and try some more shots on net. He's been far too much of a perimeter player and that needs to change.
It looks like Skinner will get the start tonight. No surprise there for me. Campbell was excellent when he came in relief in Game 4 but he still had shaky moments. More important than that to me is Skinner is the starter and it's hard to fault him for many of the goals against. Skinner needs to be sharp, particularly with the crash and bang chances right in front that LA seems to be focusing on executing.
The defense needs to be strong in front of Skinner tonight. Eyes will be on Nurse and Desharnais (if he plays) and the boo birds will be out if they start making mistakes. Keep the game simple and please Darnell, stop with the unforced icings.
Fiala being back is tough for Edmonton as we saw how quickly he was able to make an impact once returning to the lineup. Fiala is an elite player and the Kings were able to hide him on the third line and use their line change to get them out into highly favorable situations. Woodcroft needs to be sharp tonight and play that trio hard. Edmonton needs their depth players to score at least a goal tonight.
The Oilers need to put everything together tonight that has made them successful and from the moment the puck drops they need to play LA aggressive. The moment they start to sit back is when they start getting in trouble. Scoring the first goal and keeping the pressure on afterwards could be how this Edmonton team finally gets ahead in this series.
Thanks for reading and enjoy the game!