BLOG: Oilers focused on winning the key defensive battles in Game 4

EDMONTON, AB - Show up, or show yourself out.

Their playoff lives won't be on the line on Wednesday, but the Edmonton Oilers are hyper-aware of how difficult their task will become if they aren't able to even the series after taking a tough 5-1 result on Monday at Rogers Place in Game 3 of their second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.

"We know now that if we don't show up tomorrow, then we're in a very bad spot in the series," defenceman Brett Kulak said. "It's already 'backs are against the wall' pretty much, and that's the mood in the room, so we know what to do."

Time and time again, this past regular season and in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Oilers have been able to answer back.

Tuesday's practice at Rogers Place served as a full reset and chance for the Oilers to address some of their shortcomings ahead of delivering their biggest response yet in Game 4 after having done it already once this series with their statement Game 2 victory in Vegas and having been down 2-1 in a series once already this postseason to Los Angeles.

"I think we're a team that's unified in its purpose and a team that's deaf to doubt," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. "Heading into today, no one was happy with the game last night. We took our medicine and we made sure to use today to set us up to have some success tomorrow, and the way you do that is by making sure you do your work, you honestly self-assess and you address the areas that have to get cleaned up."

Forward Warren Foegele connected on Derek Ryan's feed to the far post inside the first three minutes of Game 3 to give the Oilers their dream start, but things devolved fairly quickly from there for the Blue & Orange.

Right from their first opportunity to challenge Edmonton's defence in their own end, the Vegas game plan of owning the space around their opponent's net became crystal clear.

"You look at a lot of their goals coming around our net, and that's uncharacteristic of our group and that's something we'll fix tomorrow night," Kane said.

Jonathan Marchessault scored his first of two even-strength goals in the first period just 1:59 after Foegele found the back of the net, and while Edmonton certainly had its opportunities to equalize and even take the lead, their sharpness from their previous five-goal outing at T-Mobile Arena wasn't there.

"Five-on-five, look at that first period," Evander Kane said. "I think we had three two-on-ones and didn't capitalize. We scored first, so we did some good things, but weren't very clean with the puck and we weren't as hard as we needed to be in front of our own net, especially for this time of the year."

Both of Marchessault's first-period tallies for the Golden Knights came off winning battles in and around the Oilers net -- the first on a loose puck around the goalmouth before their second came with 51 seconds left in the opening frame off winning a race to the slot to be in position to accept a pass from Jack Eichel, who had a goal and two assists in Game 3.

Defending below their own goal line and around their own crease was the major theme of Tuesday's full practice at Rogers Place for the Oilers.

"I think we can be a lot heavier, a lot harder in that area," Woodcroft added. "I think when we're at our best, we're a team that controls that part of the rink and yesterday, our engagement in that area wasn't where it needed to be. That was one part of our game that can certainly improve more."

"They're really good. They're skilled, they're deceptive and they don't give up pucks easily," Kulak said. "They hang onto it and make plays, and they make you work for it to get it back in your own zone. I think they're very good at that and they've been successful at that lately.

Controlling the defensive side of the game plays into Edmonton's major advantage at the other end of the ice, which is using its overpowering offence and size to maintain possession in the offensive zone and apply pressure to its opponent.

"They cycle the puck well," Kulak said. "I think we've got to work on ending it quickly and spending more time in their zone. I think we're at our best there and I think that's where we can take advantage of this team."

Vegas was able to stifle much of those opportunities by making the Oilers win the puck below their own goal line and work their way back 200 feet up the ice through five Golden Knights skaters, while also continuing to utilize their quick transition game and strong forecheck.

"I think it's the strength of our team," Woodcroft said of offensive-zone possession. "I think the big thing, in order to have that type of zone time, is you've got to be able to manage pucks through the neutral zone and we can do a better job. We've done it well in one game. The other two haven't been our strongest attributes, so that's an area we can do better in."

To a man, as spoken by Woodcroft and his players post-game on Monday, their efforts both collectively and individually weren't good enough. The Oilers are a confident and experienced group that's cognisant of the areas they need to improve ahead of Game 4 in order to correct the course after a humbling defeat on home ice.

"I think everybody in this room knows we have better as a team and individually, so there's a real confidence in that," Kane said. "I thought we had a good day of practice today and a good meeting. The attitude is right in the room and we're looking forward to for a big game tomorrow night."