There’s no denying how good the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard have been for the Edmonton Oilers in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings.
Through the first four games of the series, McDavid and Draisaitl had nine points while Bouchard had seven. It turns out they wouldn’t need much from them on Tuesday night in their crucial 3-1 Game 5 win, pushing the Kings to the brink of elimination.
Instead, it was the depth of the Oilers that lifted the team to victory. Despite the Kings getting a 1-0 lead three and a half minutes into the second — after an unrelenting push from the Oilers in the first, where they outshot L.A. 19-4 — Edmonton didn’t shrink and just minutes later, John Klingberg would keep a puck in at the blue line, finding Evander Kane who dusted it off and a bouncing puck found the back of the net.
Then, the fourth line had the key goal, where Mattias Janmark would do his job as “The Janitor,” cleaning up a rebound and giving the Oilers a lead they wouldn’t look back from. An empty-net goal from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, assisted by McDavid and Draisaitl, would seal the game.
“I think the feeling was really there after the first period that we’re outplaying them, we got them where we want, and now we just got to keep pushing the gas,” said Janmark. “Even when they scored, just try to get it right back, and Kaner got it right back, and away we went.”
Even with the lead, the Oilers simply wouldn’t give up. They outshot the Kings in all three periods and doubled the shot count to 46-22.
It’s a huge win in what might’ve been Edmonton’s most complete game all year, amid one with lows any team would expect, but hghs that were few and far between.
“I don’t remember the last time we played as good of a game as that, and having said that, it was a nailbiter still — it’s the playoffs,” said Zach Hyman, who finished the game with 10 hits and six shots on goal.
“This is a really tough building to win in. I don’t know how many games they dropped at home this year, but obviously we found something in that last game and carried it over to this game, and we’re able to throw out any line against any matchup.
“I think that’s really important this time of year. We’re a pretty balanced attack even though we rely heavily on our big guys. I think tonight, guys stepped up, made plays. A huge goal by Janny’s line there, and Picks in net, I just thought everybody took a step and collectively, we looked as good as we have.”
For Janmark, specifically, his offensive outburst couldn’t have come at a better time after a regular season to forget. His two goals were the lowest of his career as he couldn’t seem to find a bounce.
But now, with a goal in Game 1 and another last night, he’s already tied his season high for tallies.
“Parts of the year didn’t go as I wanted, and for parts, I felt like I was playing really well, the goals just didn’t come,” he said. “I kind of had a funny feeling when Game 70 hit and I only had one or two goals — I knew I wan’t going to have a career year.
“I kind of had a feeling they might show up here in the playoffs, and I scored a lucky one in the first game, but when you go through that in the regular season, you really have to dial in on all the other aspects of the game, and those other aspects of the game become a little bigger in the playoffs, and then you get some bounces too. “
Now, the Oilers will look to return to home ice Thursday night to host the Kings in an elimination Game 6 where Edmonton can punch their ticket to the second round.
History will be on their side, as the Oilers have gone 7-1 in Game 6’s in the McDavid-Draisaitl era, including 4-1 on home ice.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
