EDMONTON – It was clear from the beginning of the series. For the Edmonton Oilers to advance past the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, they needed to secure at least one victory at Crypto.com Arena, which proved to be the league`s most challenging road venue this season.
Positively, Edmonton boasts a 6-4 record with five regulation wins in Los Angeles across their four playoff series meetings over the last four years. Including regular season games from the past four seasons, their combined record at Crypto.com Arena heading into the pivotal Game 5 is 10-7-1.
Defenseman Brett Kulak commented from the visitors` dressing room, a place where the Oilers have celebrated playoff series wins and notable victories: “We`re definitely quite comfortable here. We`ve played many games, many significant ones, and found ways to succeed. Personally, everyone`s had big moments and contributed at important times, and collectively as a team, we`ve had success here.”
“So that`s certainly something you rely on and draw confidence from.”
This series has become a real contest for dictating the flow of the game. In three of the contests, Los Angeles dominated the initial 40 minutes, while Edmonton has clearly been the stronger team in the third period.
Whichever team manages to alter this pattern is likely to emerge victorious in the series.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins noted, “At various points in the series, we`ve shown great resilience and found ways to stay competitive, even if we haven`t played our most polished 60-minute game yet.”
“Getting off to a strong start tonight is important.”
