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Tuesday, April 25, 2023

{allcanada} 3 Keys: Kings at Oilers, Game 5 of Western 1st Round


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(P3) Kings at (P2) Oilers

Western Conference First Round, Game 5

Best-of-7 series tied 2-2

9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS, KCOP-13

EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings each will try to get the upper hand in the Western Conference First Round in Game 5 at Rogers Place on Tuesday. 

"It's a 2-2 series going on the road, and we have to win one on the road, there is no secret to it," Kings center Anze Kopitar said Tuesday. "There's no downside to it. It's a good challenge for this team."

The Oilers rallied twice for a 5-4 overtime win in Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday. Edmonton battled back from a 3-0 deficit in the first period and fell behind 4-3 in the third before forward Evander Kane tied it at 16:58 of the third and forward Zach Hyman won it at 10:39 of sudden death.

Three of the four games of the series have gone into overtime, including victories by Los Angeles in Games 1 and 3.

"It's exciting, the last win was obviously huge for us and it's nice to carry over that energy and momentum coming back home tonight," Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak said. "We're looking forward to it. We kind of got a bit of a wake-up call in the first period in the last game. What it's going to take to beat these guys is to have that work ethic every shift, and we're excited." 

 

[RELATED: Complete Oilers vs. Kings series coverage]

 

Stuart Skinner will start for Edmonton after being pulled following the first period of Game 4, when the goalie allowed three goals on 11 shots. He was replaced by Jack Campbell, who stopped 27 of 28 shots.

"Stuart Skinner has been our starting goaltender here in the second half of the year, we expect a great game out of him today," Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. "We have two really good goaltenders and that's a luxury for a head coach to have and in the end, it's the head coach's decision." 

When a best-of-7 series is tied, the winner of Game 5 holds a series record of 224-61 (.786). 

Here are 3 keys for Game 5:

 

1. Skinner time 

Skinner has a 3.38 goals-against average and .881 save percentage through his first four Stanley Cup Playoff games. The rookie goalie won the the Oilers' No. 1 job this season, when he was 29-14-5 record with a 2.75 GAA, .914 save percentage and one shutout in 50 games (48 starts). 

With a 4-2 win in Game 2, the 24-year-old became the first Edmonton rookie goalie to win a playoff game since Grant Fuhr in 1982.

"I'm excited to play again," Skinner said. "Obviously the previous game, for me specifically, didn't go the way that I wanted it to go, but the team ended up getting the win, which is all that matters. That gave us a chance to be at 2-2 and gives us a chance to hopefully do something tonight. I'm excited to get back in there."

 

2. The Fiala effect 

Kings forward Kevin Fiala made an immediate impact with two assists in his return to the lineup in Game 4. He had not played since April 1 after missing the last six games of the regular season and first three games of the playoffs with a lower-body injury. 

Fiala was the Kings second-leading scorer this season with 72 points (23 goals, 49 assists) in 69 games, trailing Kopitar, who had 74 points (28 goals, 46 assists).

"It had been a while, but it was all right, I felt good, just the wind was missing a little," Fiala said. "Obviously the level is way up (in the playoffs), but it's more exciting for me as well, more excited for the group and I'm excited for another chance tonight to try and get the win."

 

3. Burying the lead 

Los Angeles came from behind to win Games 1 and 3, and Edmonton returned the favor in Game 4. 

Holding leads has been difficult due to the number of talented offensive players on each team, according to Kings coach Todd McLellan. Los Angeles was unable to hold 3-0 and 4-3 advantages before losing Game 4 in overtime. 

"There is more skill in the League, more scoring chances in the League, power plays have gone up," McLellan said. "The power-play goals and the production has gone up more so than 10 years ago. Yeah, you'll see more of them (comebacks)." 

Kings projected lineup

Quinton Byfield -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore -- Phillip Danault -- Viktor Arvidsson

Kevin Fiala -- Gabriel Vilardi -- Alex Iafallo

Carl Grundstrom -- Rasmus Kupari -- Jaret Anderson-Dolan

Mikey Anderson -- Drew Doughty

Vladislav Gavrikov -- Matt Roy

Alexander Edler -- Sean Durzi

Joonas Korpisalo

Pheonix Copley

Scratched: Sean Walker, Arthur Kaliyev, Alex Laferriere, Zack MacEwen

Injured: Blake Lizotte (lower body)

Oilers projected lineup

Evander Kane -- Connor McDavid -- Leon Draisaitl

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Nick Bjugstad -- Zach Hyman

Warren Foegele -- Ryan McLeod -- Kailer Yamamoto

Klim Kostin -- Derek Ryan

Darnell Nurse -- Cody Ceci

Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard

Brett Kulak -- Vincent Desharnais

Philip Broberg

Stuart Skinner

Jack Campbell

Scratched: Devin Shore, Calvin Pickard

Injured: Mattias Janmark (foot), Ryan Murray (back)

Status report

Lizotte remains out after being injured in Game 2. ... Korpisalo will make his fifth consecutive start of the playoffs after alternating with Copley during the regular season. ... Skinner will start after being replaced by Campbell following the first period of a 5-4 overtime win in Game 4. ... The Oilers are going with the same 11-forward, seven- defenseman alignment they have used since Game 2 following the injury to Janmark, who blocked a shot in Game 1. ... Kane did not participate in Edmonton's morning skate Tuesday, but will play.

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