What do the Oilers need to do to force Game 7?

After the Edmonton Oilers fell 3-1 in their first-round series to the Anaheim Ducks, they’ve already begun to claw their way back with a Game 5 win on Tuesday. But Game 6 will be the toughest of the three, as they have to pull off a win on the road after losing both games in Anaheim earlier in the series.

So what do the Oilers need to do to force a Game 7? Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton talked about how the Oilers can pull off a win in Game 6 on Daily Faceoff Live.

Carter Hutton: I think a big start’s important. Trying to come out of the gates hot because of the pressure and magnitude of the moment for the Anaheim Ducks. A little bit of a greener team with some leadership, but haven’t really been to the dance like the Oilers have as recently. So I think that is going to be important.

I also think consistency, predictability from their D-core. As you watch the Edmonton Oilers, from a goalie’s perspective of my own, at times it’s like the unknown of what’s coming at you and where the breakdowns are going to be. If they can be a little more predictable and just keep things to the outside, let Ingram get into the game, I think that plays into their favor.

The lineup adjustments throughout the playoffs have been great too. I think the little adjustments by the Oilers have made throughout this series have helped them along. I think in Game 6, it’s can your stars be your stars and be the ultimate difference maker?

Tyler Yaremchuk: I like what you said about predictability because that really is what’s allowed them to be great over these last few playoff runs. I know everyone pointed to the final 40 minutes of that Game 5 and was like, “hey, Anaheim poured on the pressure”. And listen, it very well could have gone a different way.

But when you sit there and look at how imbalanced the shot clock was for the final 40, I’d say go back and actually look at those chances. Edmonton didn’t give up a 2-on-1. If they did, it got snuffed out before it became a scoring chance. They didn’t allow a breakaway.

You can maybe say, “hey, they sat back and they can’t do that going forward. When you go up 3-0 10 minutes into the game, I would argue that a good veteran team like the Oilers, they should be able to protect that lead, and they shouldn’t have to go out there and say, “hey, we’re trying to score the fourth one and the fifth one”.

They did a pretty good job of keeping Anaheim to the outside, and I’m sure Connor Ingram would sit there and say, “hey, give me that exact same workload again”. Sure, 30 shots on goal maybe seems a bit much in a playoff game, but 30 shots on goal where you don’t face a 2-on-1 or a breakaway.

You can watch the full episode here…