A little Cali’ La Bamba, baby. Final Score: 3-2.

On the game: “We had some good moments and then some moments that weren’t as great. Good teams find ways to win, and I thought we really competed in the third. We had some massive saves by Schmiddy to keep us in it.”

On the Oilers winning in different ways: “I think it’s good going into the playoffs. You’re going to have to find different ways to win. Doing that the last couple games is helping us get more growth as a team and being more mature out there on the ice. You just take it as a positive and move forward.”

On his goal: “It was a great play by Bouch to feed d.r., and d.r. Had no hesitation to slide it over to me to tap it in. It’s great passes by both of them, and I was just lucky to cash it in.”

On if he was called for the puck: “Oh, I was callin’ for it! I was callin’ for it but it was a great play.”

On Evan Bouchard, his first three-point night in the NHL: “Bouch is a hell of a player. He brings so much poise with the puck and he can make plays not many other people can do. You saw tonight he’s got a bomb as well. When he’s using that thing, it’s hard to save. He brings a lot to our team, and he’s just going to get better.”

On allowing just 13 goals against in the oilers’ six-game winning streak: “Woody’s been kind of preaching it all year to try and stay above guys. Going into the playoffs, we’re going to have to play better defensively. I think as a group, we’ve been buying in and doing the small details that make us successful.”

On his first three-point night in the NHL: “Obviously it’s a great feeling getting that, but more importantly we got the win. That’s all that really matters right now.”

On the importance of the game: “Coming into it we knew we’d had to play a solid game against la. We know the way they want to play and they’ve been really strong recently. Like I said, it’s just good to come out with a win here.”

On allowing just 13 goals against in the Oilers’ six-game winning streak: “it’s a big focus of ours. going into playoffs, you got to be really solid defensively. it helps when our goaltenders are standing on their heads, and that’s what they’ve been doing recently. It’s really showing and it’s paying off for everyone.”

On Mike Smith’s going 6-0-1 in his last seven starts: “Yeah, numbers don’t lie I guess. He’s been unbelievable for us. He’s been making those big saves. The way he plays the puck is incredible. You saw last game giving us that game-winner. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

On the game: “I thought it was a complete 60-minute effort in terms of finding a way to win a game. I thought our first period was excellent. We played fast, had a little bit of a hiccup after we gave up a shorthanded goal there. But we got it on the rails in the last six or so minutes of the second. I thought it was a competitive third period. All-in-all, we found a way to win in a tough building.”

On starting pp2 late in the game: “I thought it was an important point in the game. I thought it was a chance for me to show belief in that unit. They went out, they created a few chances and I was comfortable with their defensive awareness in that situation. They didn’t score a goal, but they were dangerous. More than anything, I wanted that unit to feel my confidence in them.”

On six straight wins allowing just 13 goals against: “I think we had a tough game there a few weeks ago in Calgary. We gave up way more goals than we wanted to give up. We have players that are passionate about playing the game the right way. They put in the necessary work in to execute, and they have a lot of pride. You got back to six games, but I look at this road trip, we gave up four goals in three games…. and two of them were even-strength. That’s a good sign for us as we kind of navigate our way down the stretch here in the month of april. We’re going to need that commitment and that mindset because we’re playing some really tough teams here.”

On Evan Bouchard’s three-point night, his evolution: “He’s gaining a lot of confidence, not that he ever lacked confidence with the puck. But I think he’s doing a lot of really good things defensively. I think there’s a chemistry between him and Duncan Keith. Some of those plays he made tonight were big-league plays. He moved the puck well and obviously got a shot through from the point in the third period there, and that’s what he does. Quite pleased for him personally and pleased for our team.”

On Bouchard’s ability to get his shot through: “It’s almost like the pucks he shoots have eyes. They find their way through shot blocks and they give goaltenders problems. I’ve had the fortune of seeing Bouch since he first entered our organization and I’ve seen him in playoffs in the American Hockey League, I saw him in his first full season as a professional player. He’s someone I take a lot of pride in having worked with and having him come through the program so to speak, he’s someone who does a lot of really good things on the ice, so I’m happy he got that goal tonight.”

On Mike Smith, if something’s changed with him: “It’s funny because I don’t think confidence is anything tangible. I think you earn the right to feel confident and for Mike, he’s earned that feeling because he’s put the work in. He’s put the work in in practice. Certainly put the work in games. His puck-moving ability is elite, but he’s made some big saves for us at the right time. It’s a credit to all that work he’s put in, because he’s earned the right to feel confident.”

Woodcroft was asked by Terry Jones, through Oilers TV’s Tony Brar, on the importance of home-ice advantage: “I would say terry, you’re looking so far down the road here. We’re looking to enjoy this win for the next little bit and then we’re going to have a good travel day tomorrow, rest up. Our focus is not on home-ice advantage, it’s not what other teams in the western conference did, it’s on the day’s business and I’m confident if we put the necessary work in and we have the right focus, results and home-ice advantage. All that kind of stuff takes care of itself. Our focus is just on making sure we’re taking care of our business day-in and day-out.”

On Connor McDavid’s 15-game point streak and if there’s a difference between it, and the one from earlier this year: “Well, I wasn’t the coach in the first one, so it’s hard for me to speak to that run early in the season for him. I can just tell you that all of the offensive numbers you see, they’re stunning. That doesn’t happen every day. It’s a credit to his god-given ability, his level of concentration and his ability to execute, that’s what it’s a credit to what I focus on as a coach, and what I get to see, is a lot of the really good defensive plays that he’s making. He’s driving us forward, sure, with his offence, but he’s also driving it with his attention to detail on the defensive side of things. When your captain does that, when the leading scorer in the national hockey league commits to playing like that, I think it really resonates with the rest of the group and becomes a contagious type attitude.”

On McDavid hitting another gear down the stretch: “He’s earned the reputation that he has for a reason, it’s because he rises to big moment occasions. As I said, he’s driving our team right now with his 200-foot play, not just his offensive foot play. It’s elite.”