3 Things to Watch: Oilers at Ducks, Game 6 of Western Conference 1st Round

(2P) Oilers at (3P) Ducks 

Western Conference First Round, Game 6

Ducks lead best-of-7 series 3-2

10 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, Victory+, truTV, TNT, KCOP-13, SN360, SN, TVAS, CBC

ANAHEIM -- The Anaheim Ducks have another chance to eliminate the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference First Round, and advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017. 

The Ducks lead the best-of-7 series 3-2 and can close it out on home ice after failing to clinch in Game 5 in Edmonton on Tuesday, losing 4-1. Anaheim is looking forward to its second opportunity. 

"I think we can learn from the last game knowing that we got an opportunity," Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. "They came and showed they're ready to play and I think that the last two starts, we have to be way better, and expect it to be a hard push by them. But we welcome that challenge, it's going to be fun to play a game that all game long, you're going to get pushed and challenged and you can control your destiny by doing things the right way and try to move on." 

Edmonton is trying to stave off elimination for the second consecutive game. If necessary, Game 7 would be in Edmonton on Saturday. 

"It's a high-pressure game that is an elimination game, but we've been in these before and games that are even more high pressure," Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. "The calm and the ease of our players is pretty remarkable, it's as if it's just another game. Obviously, it's not, there's a lot riding on it, but there's a lot of confidence, they feel good and they know what they have to do."

The Oilers have scored the first goal in each of the first five games. They built a 3-0 lead in Game 5, and held the Ducks to just one goal. Anaheim had 26 comeback wins in the regular season, which was tied for the most with the Montreal Canadiens, and each of its wins in this series has also been in comeback fashion.

"I think we're very confident playing from behind just because we've done it so much," Ducks forward Mason McTavish said. "It's not, obviously, ideal, but I think we've kind of gathered a lot of confidence from doing that throughout the regular season and coming into the playoffs. Obviously you want to play with the lead as much as you can though."

Here are three things to watch in Game 6:

1. Goalie redemption 

Lukas Dostal was pulled in Game 5 after giving up three goals on nine shots in the 4-1 loss, but will get the start in Game 6. He is 3-2 in five starts with a 4.32 goals against average and .864 save percentage in the playoffs. He was 30-20-4 in the regular season with a 3.10 goals against average and .888 save percentage. 

Dostal has given up a goal on the first shot he's faced in back-to-back games and 12 times this season. Ville Husso stopped 10 of the 11 shots he faced in relief in Game 5.

"(Dostal) got to watch the (rest of the) game and got a little rest out of it as well," Quenneville said. "He's a pretty smart kid and everybody knows how hard he competes and is a great teammate. I'm sure he's excited about the challenge as well."

2. Dynamic Duo 

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were reunited on Edmonton's top line in Game 5 and are expected to play together again in Game 6. The two star forwards each centered their own line in the first four games. Edmonton will not have last change in Game 6, though, giving Anaheim an opportunity to dictate the line matchups. 

"I think we'll be mixing up the lines, but I think we can play them together, there'll be times when they are together," Knoblauch said. "Obviously, we have to be a more cognizant of (the Ducks) top line, just when they're out there and making sure we got the next shift ready for that counterstrike." 

Draisaitl has nine points (three goals, six assists) and McDavid has six points (one goal, five assists) in the first five games of the series. McDavid won the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists) in 82 games. Draisaitl had 97 points (35 goals, 62 assists) in 65 games and missed the final 14 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury sustained on March 15 in a 3-1 win against the Nashville Predators.

3. Learning experience

Anaheim has 14 players who made their playoff debuts in this series but have not looked overwhelmed against Edmonton, which has been to the Stanley Cup Final the past two seasons.

The Ducks are learning on the go and have proven to be a quick study. 

"I think it just kind of goes back to confidence, I think we ended the season pretty well and I think maybe that kind of carries over into it," McTavish said. "I think we have some gamers in here and everyone kind of gravitates to a bit more of a physical style. It's kind of hard to put one specific point on that, but that's a couple of reasons maybe." 

The pressure will be on Anaheim to try and close the series at home and not have to play a deciding game in Edmonton on Saturday. 

"I think as you go along in the series you can get your team excited by thinking you have to win this game it's the most important game of the year," Quenneville said. "I think going through it the last game, I think we have a group that learned a lesson and that we expect our opponent to be more than ready," Quenneville said. "So, let's meet that head on."

Oilers projected lineup

Leon Draisaitl -- Connor McDavid -- Kasperi Kapanen

Vasily Podkolzin -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Zach Hyman

Matthew Savoie -- Jason Dickinson -- Jack Roslovic

Colton Dach -- Josh Samanski -- Curtis Lazar

Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard

Darnell Nurse -- Connor Murphy

Jake Walman -- Ty Emberson

Connor Ingram

Tristan Jarry

Scratched: Calvin Pickard, Spencer Stastney, Trent Frederic

Injured: Mattias Janmark (shoulder), Max Jones (lower body), Adam Henrique (lower body)

Ducks projected lineup

Cutter Gauthier -- Leo Carlsson -- Troy Terry

Alex Killorn -- Mikael Granlund -- Beckett Sennecke

Chris Kreider  -- Ryan Poehling -- Mason McTavish 

Jeffrey Viel -- Tim Washe -- Ian Moore

Jackson LaCombe -- Jacob Trouba

Pavel Mintyukov -- John Carlson

Tyson Hinds -- Drew Helleson

Lukas Dostal

Ville Husso

Scratched: Frank Vatrano, Olen Zellweger, Jansen Harkins, Ross Johnston

Injured: Radko Gudas (lower body)

Status report 

McDavid and Dickinson did not participate in the morning skate on Thursday. McDavid will play, but Dickinson is a game-time decision. Dickinson missed Games 2 and 3 with a lower-body injury, but played in Games 4 and 5. ... Draisaitl and McDavid will start on the same line for the second consecutive game. Draisaitl centered the second line for most of the first three games of the series. ... Dostal will start after he gave up three goals on nine shots and was replaced by Husso in the first period of the 4-1 loss in Game 5 on Tuesday. ... Terry (maintenance) did not attend the morning skate but will play.