DALLAS -- The Edmonton Oilers have been here before and are looking to make good on their third opportunity at Game 5, on the road, with a best-of-7 series tied 2-2.
The Oilers head into Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS) seeking to win in a situation where they lost twice in the past two postseasons.
Edmonton lost Game 5 in the Western Conference Second Round last season at the Vegas Golden Knights before losing the series in six games, and lost at the Vancouver Canucks in the second round this season before coming back to win the series in seven games.
"I think every game is different, every series is different, but even the one in Vancouver (3-2 loss), we would have liked to put forth a better performance," Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said Friday. "We can learn from that one because it's the same group of guys and make sure we're sharp. It starts mentally and then your legs and physicality follow. We know what we have to do and how we have to play, it's just a matter of doing through 60 (minutes)."
The Oilers go into the game off a convincing 5-2 win in Game 4 on Wednesday, battling back from an early 2-0 deficit. They are hoping to maintain momentum heading into Friday. Game 6 of the series is at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Sunday.
"It's similar but different, I guess," Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said. "We're just focused on tonight and trying to win a game in Dallas and go home with the lead. That's where our focus is at, it's all about tonight."
Last season in Vegas, Edmonton had a 2-1 lead in the second period and gave up three goals in 1:29 on their way to a 4-3 loss. In Vancouver, Edmonton again gave up a 2-1 lead in a 3-2 loss. They were outshot 35-23 in the game and spent most of the third period defending.
"Obvious Game 5 (in Vancouver) didn't go the way we wanted to, but I thought we played a decent game, but that's the name of the game right now, you can't play decent, you can't play good, you have to play great," Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "You have to do it for a longer period of time than the opposing team is doing. I thought we came out in Game 6 and Game 7 in that series and showed we had learned some of those lessons.
"I think when you hit a road bump, you're going to test your team and see what you are made of, and I thought in that series that helped us a lot knowing that we had to win two straight to move on. Now we're here again, and so we're not shy in that situation, and we'd like to win tonight and flip that script a little bit. I think we're ready for it and I think we learned from it."
Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said there might be a lineup change but would not disclose it. Knoblauch made three changes from Game 3 to Game 4, inserting defenseman Philip Broberg for Vincent Desharnais along with forwards Corey Perry and Ryan McLeod for Sam Carrick and Warren Foegele.
Regardless of the possible change, Knoblauch said it's important for Edmonton to embrace the moment and try to take the game to Dallas.
"We want to play good hockey and not sit back and not be afraid to make a mistake," Knoblauch said. "When you're afraid to make a mistake, you end up making a mistake, you end up playing safe. When you're playing safe all the time, you just end up defending. We want to continue making plays, hopefully they're right decisions."
It has been a long road for Edmonton to get into this position, the furthest it has come since making it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006, where they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games. The Oilers were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2022 Western Conference Final.
"I've been in the League for 10 years and I've been to one Final," said Ekholm, who was with the Nashville Predators in 2017 when they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. "To have this opportunity in front of us, we want to make the most of it, embrace it. Obviously, everybody knows there's a lot on the line everybody wants it, but you have to take a deep breath at the same time and just cool yourself down and make sure you're staying composed and not get too far ahead of yourself in these kinds of situations. I think we've done a good job of that so far."
