The weather is on the side of Edmonton Oilers After extending their eliminatory series with the Kings of Los Angeles.
Edmonton drink in the post-season with several key players missing several games, or more, in the section while they were trying to find their shape at the start of the series.
The victory of Sunday 4-3 in overtime in match 4 in Rogers not only put the best of the seven-seven year series during two victories in return to Los Angeles on Tuesday, but lengthened the Oilers track to launch their team cohesion in a high speed.
“The more we can drag this, I think it will be beneficial to us,” said the Oilers striker and the hero in overtime Leon Draisaitl, who missed all of Edmonton’s latest games in the Admonton regular season with an undisclosed injury.
“At each match, we will find a little more of each guy.”
Zach Hyman sat the last three games of the regular season and Captain Connor McDavid played three of the last 13.
The two games by Evander Kane in this series were his first since match 2 of the Stanley Cup final last year. He contributed to a goal and a decisive pass to the 7-3 victory of Edmonton in match 3.
Kane missed the whole regular season due to the surgery of the September sports hernia, the January knee surgery and the rehabilitation that accompanies him.
Defender John Klingberg appeared in only 11 regular season games after signing with Edmonton in January after a double hip surgery. He was back on the shelf after blocked a shot with his ankle on March 27 before returning for match 2.
Get daily national news
Get the best news of the day, the titles of political, economic and current affairs, delivered in your reception box once a day.
“I feel good,” Klingberg said. “This is the best that I have moved so far, I think, on the ice. Free time with my ankle and the drugs have probably helped my hips a little.”
Strong Trent Frederic played a regular season game for the Oilers after being acquired on the deadline for trade due to a high ankle sprain. He joined the alignment of the playoffs.
“It’s not easy when you have a bunch of guys out of programming and there is not much consistency with lines, with alignments, with players,” said Hyman. “When players are healthy, it doesn’t happen right away.
“If you are missing a lot of time, you need a game to get caught up or a few games. It is difficult to do it in the playoffs where everything is amplified.
“We have a bunch of guys who are starting to feel really good and who are starting to feel more like themselves and I think it only helps our team.”
But the oilers deeply feel the continuous absence of the large minute defender Mattias Ekholm, who did not return to the alignment of the series.
This has changed Edmonton’s Back-End chemistry, in particular for its defensive partner Evan Bouchard.
Bouchard was less than 3 in the first two periods of match 4, but compensated for the offensive side of the big book with a pair of third -time goals to send it to overtime.
“We have a lot of good hockey players, many guys who had unfortunately missed time, so they are not at their first performance,” said head coach Kris Knobauch said before match 4.
“We have other guys who also come back, who were missed, not only individually, but also collectively on the people with whom they play and obtain a certain cohesion.”
Edmonton won the battle of the special teams for the first time in the series on Sunday with two goals on three chances of power of power, while holding the Kings aimlessly on three chances.
After 38 stops in match 4, are waiting to safeguard the regular season Calvin Pickard in the net on Tuesday.
Edmonton Calvin Pickard’s Oilers goalkeeper (30) and Connor McDavid (97) celebrate the victory over the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL qualifiers in Edmonton on Friday, April 25, 2025.
Canadian press / Jason Franson
The Kings played a shorter bench than the Oilers of Match 4. Taken up there strongly on four defenders and nine attackers.
“You are trying to wear the other group. They are trying to wear us,” said McDavid. “I think we may use more guys than they are, which is positive.”
The Oilers will need a victory on the road on Crypto.com to take the series, where the Kings are the most victorious Home team in the NHL.
“We think we can win in any building,” said McDavid.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press