Improvement is the focus for the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings for Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Place on Tuesday.
The best-of-7 series is tied after the Kings won 4-0 at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.
"We had a good one in Game 3 there (an 8-2 win Friday) and not so good in Game 4," Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. "Every game is different. In Game 4, I thought they were the better team all night. They worked harder, they were a little more desperate. Tonight I think we have to be the desperate team. We're playing at home and we've got to be ready to go."
Los Angeles got off to a strong start to Game 4 and carried it through to the finish, unlike its sagging trajectories in Games 2 (a 6-0 loss) and 3.
But all of that is history, Kings coach Todd McLellan said, and bettering themselves is the only road to victory.
"Teams have to improve throughout the playoffs," McLellan said. "So if we think repeating that game that we played in L.A. the other night is going to be enough, it won't be.
"It comes down to the players doing it now. If it stays the way it is, there's nine periods of hockey left without overtimes and we can motivate and push all we want, but they have to get it done. And whichever team improves from night to night will probably end up winning."
RELATED: [Complete Oilers vs Kings series coverage]
When a best-of-7 series is tied 2-2 in NHL playoff history, the winner of Game 5 wins the series 79.1 percent of the time (219-58). When the home team wins Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead, it goes on to win the series 80.7 percent of the time (138-33). When the road team wins Game 5, it wins the series 76.4 percent of the time (81-25).
Here are 3 keys for Game 5: