What will decide Oilers vs. Kings playoff series? Keys to victory for both teams

The first four games of the opening-round series between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings have featured a little bit of everything.

The Kings have asserted their dominance at times. The Oilers haven’t thrown in the towel. They’ve at least drawn even in the third period on three of the four attempts in which they’ve trailed entering that frame.

The result is a roller coaster of a matchup, likely the wildest and most entertaining of the first round. There have been 39 goals scored between the two teams — an average of nearly 10 per contest. It’s only fitting that this series is tied heading into Tuesday’s Game 5.

That’s where we come in. How did things get to this point? What needs to change? What should you expect? Let’s break it down with the proceedings down to a best-of-three.

What has worked for the Oilers
It’s been the same blueprint for the Oilers that they’ve enjoyed the previous three years against the Kings. When the stars begin to take over, there’s no stopping them.

Connor McDavid almost single-handedly willed the Oilers to a comeback win in Game 1 with four points from the end of the second period onward. Leon Draisaitl was nearly as good to close out Game 4 and notched his first playoff overtime goal. They both have nine points in the series. And don’t forget about Evan Bouchard. Though there have been some notable defensive errors, especially early in the series, he was instrumental in back-to-back victories by scoring a pair of goals in each contest. He’s up to seven points.

Those three drive the bus for the Oilers, and it’s been apparent in this series. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman

What has worked for the Kings
Scoring across their forward lineup. The Kings have gotten production from the three lines that they’re counting on. Six forwards have scored two goals or more. It’s a far cry from last year when they didn’t get a lot beyond Adrian Kempe’s four goals in a five-game loss.

Kempe was held off the scoreboard in Game 4, but he’s got four goals to lead them and has been dangerous every time he has the puck and time to shoot. Kevin Fiala is up to three goals in the series after his breakaway goal Sunday. Andrei Kuzmenko and Quinton Byfield had goals in each of their victories at home, too.

The Kings have also gotten a combined five goals from their line of Warren Foegele, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore. Helping the cause is a power play that’s gone 7-for-15 (46.7 percent), though it didn’t cash in three Game 4 chances. — Eric Stephens

What hasn’t worked for the Oilers
Those stirring third-period comeback attempts sure have been entertaining. The Oilers have scored nine times in the final frame of regulation to go along with Draisaitl’s extra-time marker. As McDavid said, it’s good to know they have that in them — and probably unsettling to the Kings, too.

Having to go to that well so often isn’t ideal, though.

“We’re never going to quit, no matter what,” Draisaitl said. “We’ve shown that in the series so far — maybe a little bit too much. We have to find a way to play with a lead and play that type of game as well.”

The Oilers have opened the scoring just once. That happened when they built up a 2-0 lead in Game 3 before having it fritter away in the second period. They’ve led for a total of 29:36, all in that one contest. Knoblauch feels that the team has been “too cautious” early in games.

Their special teams were awful in Los Angeles but were better in Edmonton. The Oilers have capitalized on four of their last five power plays, including Draisaitl’s overtime goal. The penalty kill stymied all three Kings’ man advantages in Game 4, keeping them off the scoreboard for the first time in a game all series. — Nugent-Bowman

What hasn’t worked for the Kings
Managing third-period leads. To this point, it’s the defining element of this series, and it will be looked at as a monstrous missed opportunity if they lose. They’ve held late leads in all four games, with the 6-2 win in Game 2 being the one time when they didn’t give it up and won going away.

A common theme has been the Kings being in protect mode and sitting back too much. Strong defense is in their DNA, and that mindset works against most teams, but this is no ordinary opponent. With perhaps the exception of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, there’s no other team that has a duo like McDavid and Draisaitl that can have the Oilers come in waves — like Game 4 in overtime — and is dangerous at every single moment.

“They have great players,” Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper said. “When they turn it on, they’ve put us on our heels a little bit. And I think we got to make sure that we look at it and even when we have the lead, just keep playing the same way and trying to get on the forecheck and get the offensive zone cycles going and take it to them a little bit instead of sitting back too much.” — Stephens

Oilers pleasant surprise
Maybe Corey Perry shouldn’t be a surprise anymore. He scored 19 goals in the regular season in a largely reduced role.

The 39-year-old just seems to be made for this time of year. He’s been to the Stanley Cup Final five times, winning once, and has suited up in 219 career playoff games.

“There’s no better time to play — April, May and June,” Perry said. “This is what you dream about as a kid. This is why we play the game.”

Perry has been getting some first-line minutes with McDavid and Draisaitl. He has also been used at times in Zach Hyman’s typical net-front position on the first power play because of his “touch and fitness,” according to Knoblauch.

That move proved fruitful in Game 4 as Perry recorded two points in that situation. He got the Oilers on the board by showing some creative hand-eye coordination and then knocked a loose puck to Draisaitl for his decisive goal.

“He just reads the play before it happens and he knows how to maneuver himself into situations to be successful,” Draisaitl said. “He can truly play any type of game.”

Perry’s performance so far couldn’t be more different from last year’s postseason. He had three points while appearing in 19 of 25 games on the Cup run. He’s already matched his offensive output in just four contests.

John Klingberg also deserves a shoutout for his strong efforts in the last three games after playing in just 11 NHL contests before the playoffs since Nov. 11, 2023. — Nugent-Bowman