BLOG: Oilers enter Game 5 with momentum and lessons learned

LOS ANGELES, CA -Momentum and lessons learned are the name of the game for the Edmonton Oilers following Game 4 in Los Angeles.
Edmonton finds themselves in a familiar situation to the one they encountered during last year's series between these two sides following a spectacular comeback at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night to tie their series with the Kings 2-2 heading into Tuesday night's Game 5 at Rogers Place against the Los Angeles Kings.
It wasn't easy for the Oilers, who fell down 3-0 in the first period and had to battle back for most of the final 40 minutes of regulation before Zach Hyman notched the game winner 10:29 into overtime.
However, after the momentous win, the Oilers hope the winds of fortune are blowing in their favour come Tuesday night.
"Well, we're going to find out. We certainly think so," Connor McDavid said when asked Monday morning about a potential shift in the series' advantage. "I think it brings everybody together. Obviously, I would expect some good momentum heading into Game 5."

"Yeah, let's hope for that. Again, this is playoffs," Mattias Ekholm said. "We've been on the back end of two OT losses here, and we've regrouped and came back stronger. Obviously, it feels better waking up with the win than a loss today, and we'll build forward on that. I think as far as this series has gone, we've learned a lot about our group, who we are and what our strengths and weaknesses are. So far, so good, but hopefully, we can keep it going."
In 2022, it was the Kings who managed to take the 3-2 series lead courtesy of a 5-4 overtime victory at Rogers Place. Edmonton had to battle back with a pair of third-period goals by Leon Draisaitl to send the game to extra time, but the ever-dangerous Adrian Kempe scored 1:12 into OT to push the Blue & Orange to the brink.
The Oilers believe they have learned the lessons from that game that will hopefully allow them to avoid a similar fate.
"Yeah, same spot as last year. We know how big this Game 5 is," McDavid said. "We didn't get it done last year in Game 5 and found ourselves in a tough spot, but a chance to learn from that opportunity and from that experience and be ready and be sharp and ready for Game 5."
"Well, we're in the same position we were in coming out of Game 4 last year; two different teams, both have different personnel, but the bulk or core of both teams is the same," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. "Is it an opportunity to grow? Yeah, it is. We're quite aware of the challenge before us and we feel up to it."

The Oilers are no strangers to adversity this season. Prior to Christmas, the Oilers were languishing in the Western Conference standings with an 18-15-2 record which had the team a point shy of a Wild Card spot. The team turned things around, imposing their will through the latter half of their schedule with a 32-8-7 record and finishing the regular season just two-points shy of the Western Conference title.
The groundwork for the Oilers resilience was laid all the way back on Nov. 26 in New York. The Rangers took a 3-0 first period lead in that contest, much like the Kings were able to do on Sunday in Los Angeles. In the November game, the Oilers notched four goals in the final frame, including two by Draisaitl and one by Evan Bouchard to pick up a 4-3 win at the iconic Madison Square Garden.
Coach Woodcroft has been steadfast in his belief that the early-season struggles the Oilers experienced iwould pay dividends by the end of it. The Oilers bench boss hearkened back on Mondau to their unbelievable comeback on Broadway prior to the team heading back to Edmonton.
"I thought we did grow as a team yesterday, but I think the seeds of that comeback were probably planted earlier in the season when we were in that position before, in a tough building in Madison Square Garden against one of the league's best teams," Woodcroft said. "We found a way last night. It didn't happen after 40 minutes, it happened after 20 minutes. We really liked parts of our game, but there are parts of our game that can improve too. We're aware of that, and we're going to look to build on some of the things that we did yesterday, for sure."
Along with the lessons and momentum, the Oilers will have the full throat of over 18,000 members of Oil Country howling their support inside Rogers Place and even more outside at the Ford Tailgate Party in Fan Park and the Scotiabank Playoff Plaza in ICE District.
Mattias Ekholm is new to the Blue & Orange, and has seen the response of the Oilers fans and the energy they can provide in a playoff series.
"Yeah, it's so cool to watch. There's only so many seats in our arena that we can fill, but seeing the outside watch party is like, it's the first round right?" Ekholm said. "The fans are so excited and it's been really cool to come here as a new guy coming Edmonton and see how passionate everybody is about hockey."