The Ducks had yet to have the chuck-it-out game in their young playoff tenure. Edmonton\u2019s was Game 3. When pressed, the Oilers found a way to stave off elimination. The propensity to take leads was not met with the knack of giving them up. Backs against the wall, go time, all of that.<\/p>\n
Kris Knoblauch made multiple difficult decisions, the types that if they failed could\u2019ve cost him his job.<\/p>\n
After gamesmanship and an anxiety-inducing message that Connor McDavid<\/a> was a \u201cgame-time decision,\u201d he broke up the Oilers best line of Vasily Podkolzin, Leon Draisaitl, and Kasperi Kapanen, exchanging the Russian rancour with the somewhat hobbled McDavid. Between the pipes, Knoblauch went back with Connor Ingram, not Tristan Jarry, following a 34-save effort in Game 4.<\/p>\n For at least one game, the changes worked.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing into the elimination game where we had to change our fate, ultimately, we felt that we\u2019re going to put the game in our two best players\u2019 hands and let them dictate how this game is going to go,\u201d said Knoblauch, who spoke<\/a> to the media on Wednesday before the team flew to Anaheim.\u00a0<\/p>\n If Edmonton was going to win the series, Kasperi Kapanen couldn\u2019t be their best player. That\u2019s no offence to him, he\u2019s been tremendous and has climbed the pending free agent power rankings in terms of priority.<\/p>\n But the Oilers fates are directly tied to how well McDavid and Draisaitl play. Two goals from Draisaitl, two helpers from McDavid, but arguably the biggest individual contribution was from Evan Bouchard<\/a>, whose floor-to-ceiling in this series is as large as Russell Brand\u2019s crucifix.<\/p>\n In elimination games, Bouchard had scored one goal and nine points in 11 contests before Game 5. Tack on three assists, including some of the best skill plays of the series, and the pressure flips back to Anaheim for Game 6.\u00a0<\/p>\n Just the usual young-team-nervous-in-elimination-game-jitters?<\/p>\n \u201cWe gotta get angry at ourselves,\u201d said Quenneville after the game. \u201cWe gotta be excited about going home and take advantage of the crowd, and then play.\u201d<\/p>\n Now things get interesting.<\/p>\n \u2018We\u2019re a great team\u2019<\/p>\n Part of the reason uniting McDavid-Draisaitl together looked so good was because Podkolzin with Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman drove play right from jump. This line was the most consistent throughout the game at sustaining shifts in the offensive zone, and scored two of the three even-strength goals for the Oilers in the game.<\/p>\n No Oiler line had a great game on the shot clock considering the Ducks had a 24-8 advantage in the last 40 minutes, but the scales tipped better for the Podkolzin-led line because of the two tallies. Anaheim\u2019s responses after Edmonton goals have been tremendous in the series, which is why Podkolzin\u2019s drive and shot that hit the post seconds after his goal showed an ability to sustain momentum\u2026for awhile anyways.<\/p>\n No Picasso to be sure, but a win. There are times a hockey team wins games because the segment they dominate is better than the segment their opponent dominates.<\/p>\n \u201cI like how we responded. We\u2019re a great team. We\u2019ve got veterans here who know how to play deep into the playoffs, and there\u2019s a lot of confidence in our room. Nothing\u2019s done yet,\u201d said Podkolzin<\/a> afterwards.I said on Oilersnation Pregaming <\/a>that Lukas Dostal had been the third-best goalie in the series so far, somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Timely saves, yes, but overall not as busy either Ingram or Jarry were forced to be. He was chased midway through the first period for Ville Husso, who wasn\u2019t tested nearly enough for the Oilers liking, but was steady.<\/p>\n Dostal has given up a goal on his first shot faced 12 times this season, per Sportsnet Stats, part of a season-wide concern for Ducks fans. Overall, Anaheim\u2019s opponents scored the first goal in 49-out-of-82 games and it\u2019s happened all five times in this series. <\/p>\n The Oilers have scored in each first period and have a 9-3 advantage, a smidgen better than the Ducks second periods, where the enemy has a 10-5 lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was pretty evident they had more desperation than us to start the game, fighting for their playoff lives,\u201d Alex Killorn told the Victory+ broadcast.<\/p>\n The Ducks did have the better of it for longer in the game, but weren\u2019t able to generate serious chances. When there was danger, Connor Ingram was there for a tidy 29-save performance. The breather seemed to do him well. Remember, if he had played Game 4, that would\u2019ve been the most consecutive starts in his career (eight). He appreciated<\/a> it.<\/p>\n \u201cTo give me a break mentally and physically was great. It was a good decision,\u201d said Ingram.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t get it twisted: Dostal will come back with a fury in Game 6. One stellar game, the Oilers are booking tee-times.<\/p>\n Puck luck levelled out for a change on Tuesday, along with an overall friendly whistle (but how the referees missed the hit from behind<\/a> on Draisaitl is cause for an Unsolved Mysteries episode), but I expect that to change again.\u2018Match that energy\u2019<\/p>\n Quenneville looked to jumpstart his group by changing his lines in the second period, giving Chris Kreider and Jeffrey Viel more time, while dropping Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, and Mason McTavish down in certain spots.<\/p>\n A quiet part of the Oilers steadying themselves in the series was winning 61.9 per cent of the faceoffs. Only Tim Washe remained unscathed, going 6-for-12 at the dot, as that fourth line remains effective.<\/p>\n The top line<\/a> of Gauthier-Carlsson-Terry still played 8:25 together and had 15 shot attempts to the Oilers eight. They used a couple of wrinkles in their breakout to free up Carlsson for a rush chance or two as well.<\/p>\n Does Quenneville look to put a veteran like Kreider back on that line, like he started the series, or let that trio work itself out?<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to be more ready for the first 5-10 minutes. We know that they\u2019re going to come out hard, so we just have to match that energy,\u201d said Leo Carlsson, via\u00a0Sporting Tribune<\/a> reporter Zach Cavanagh.<\/p>\n With that in mind, the Oilers should expect the heavy forecheck the Ducks brought to begin Game 3.<\/p>\n The keysGame 5 was a great example<\/a> of what the game can look like without giving the opponent \u201cfreebies\u201d as Knoblauch described them. I like how the Oilers are more willing to chip pucks out of the zone and punt, but doing it every time in a period is not ideal, either.<\/p>\n When looking to comeback, Anaheim is pinching along the boards knowing the Oilers are looking to exit there, instead of using the middle of the ice, which to my eyes, looks available to breakout.<\/p>\n Finding the right marriage will help hold leads.<\/p>\n But if one facet of the game can single-handedly sink the Oilers it\u2019s the penalty kill<\/a>, which went 0-for-1 in their lone two-minute kill. Moments before the kill began, Connor Murphy grimaced holding his hand after breaking up a rush chance. He began that PK and was caught flat-footed, while the Oilers funneling towards the middle couldn\u2019t contain Killorn in front.<\/p>\n Thanks to a split kill later, the Oilers power play clawed back to a \u2018mighty\u2019 50 per cent, 7-for-14. Minus Colton Dach\u2019s late hit, the Oilers were disciplined. A solution is required \u2013 urgently.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whether that\u2019s more Ty Emberson<\/a>, tying up more faceoffs, changing how they deny entries\u2026something has to give.Trent Frederic earned himself a night beside the popcorn machine after the gently gliding gaffe in overtime in Game 4. Knoblauch addressed the scratch<\/a> in more length on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Dach coming back, we feel that he\u2019s been playing really well with his speed, his physicality. Also, the importance of Lazar,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cWe talked about those faceoffs on the penalty kill. Lazar was part of that last night that we needed him. Obviously, we didn\u2019t take many penalties last night\u2026we felt that it was important for him to play.\u201d<\/p>\n Knoblauch loves a forward rotation and scratching a forward committed until 2033 reflects poorly on the organization, but will he change a winning lineup?<\/p>\n The line of Dach with Josh Samanski and Curtis Lazar were outshot 4-0 and aren\u2019t immune from a scratch to insert the $3.85 million forward in Frederic. But in over 100 games as an Oiler, regular season and playoffs, you have to search to find the impactful ones.<\/p>\n Notes:Before Wednesday night\u2019s games Leon Draisaitl was tied with Kirill Kaprizov for the playoff lead<\/a> in points with nine. Ho-hum. Draisaitl now has an even 150 points in his playoff career.Jackson LaCombe fell back to earth in Game 5. His pair with Jacob Trouba was scored on twice, creating some change in the blueline. A total of 7:39 was played with John Carlson to switch things up. LaCombe has a ton of responsibility, as the pair of Drew Helleson and Tyson Hinds doesn\u2019t play all that often. He logged a total of 28:04 in Game 5.Ducks fans are clamouring for Ross Johnston, who appears to be healthy after sustaining<\/a> a mid-March injury. The 31-year-old bruiser could be a jolt to the Anaheim lineup.With the Bakersfield Condors season done, Knoblauch said several players will meet them in Anaheim to be part of the Black Aces,<\/a> but who they are precisely wasn\u2019t mentioned. The Ducks similarly have a flock<\/a> ready.Vasily Podkolzin has been on-ice for more five-on-five goals than any forward in the 2026 playoffs. He led Game 5 with seven hits.\u00a0The Oilers are now 20-5 in Games 4-7 in Kris Knoblauch\u2019s tenure as head coach.\u00a0Draisaitl\u2019s 23rd postseason power play goal, which tied Wayne Gretzky for the most all-time in franchise history. That\u2019s something special.McDavid\u2019s two assists gave him sole possession of third all-time in playoff assists with 111, surpassing Jari Kurri. He\u2019s 24 behind Mark Messier for second.Zach Hyman is also climbing franchise ranks. His seventh career game-winning goal tied Mark Messier and Craig Simpson for fifth most in franchise history. Draisaitl is fourth with eight. That was his 37th postseason goal overall, which means he\u2019s in sole possession of eighth surpassing Simpson and Paul Coffey.Coffey will soon sit second in assists by a defenceman. Bouchard\u2019s three helper night tied his coach with 67 in the playoffs for the most in Oilers history. That\u2019s a tie for seventh overall.<\/p>\n Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He\u2019s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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There\u2019s a new chapter beginning at