PROJECTED LINEUP: Oilers look to eliminate Kings with same lineup in Game 6

EDMONTON, AB – Keep the lineup and the effort the exact same in Game 6.

The Edmonton Oilers will try to run it back and eliminate the Los Angeles Kings from the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth straight season on Thursday at Rogers Place after winning the last three games in a row to take a 3-2 series advantage into tonight's chance to advance to Round 2 on home ice.

After Tuesday's dominant 3-1 victory at Crypto.com Arena, the Oilers are expecting a desperate Kings side that will be fighting for their playoff lives, and the Blue & Orange know it'll take another effort like in Game 5 to push themselves into Round 2 for the fourth straight year at the expense of Los Angeles.

"Absolutely. We know that they're a good hockey team and are going to play with a lot of desperation," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "They feel they can beat us, and for us, we need to match our level of play that we had in Game 5 as much as possible. I thought everybody was pulling in the right direction and contributing the way they should, and even though we played a heck of a game, it almost wasn't enough."

"We expect a very strong push from LA and we're going to have to elevate our game."

The Oilers are 5-0 in Games 5 & 6 with the opportunity to clinch a series, and Leon Draisaitl expects the same resilient approach from his side as they aim to have another fast start like in their last two wins that've given them the chance to move on to the Second Round in front of their own fans at Rogers Place.

"I think just don't overthink the moment," Draisaitl said Thursday morning after being named a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist with Winnipeg's Connor Helleybuyck and Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov. "This is another game in the series. Two really good teams are playing each other; two teams that know each other really well, and we believe that our best can beat anyone's best I think more often than not.

"If we're capable to getting close to our best, we're giving ourselves a good chance to win, and that's our goal for tonight."

The Oilers appear to have found the formula with their lineup over the past three games, making no changes to their group since Calvin Pickard replaced Stuart Skinner in the crease for Game 3, which has resulted in three straight victories and Edmonton overturning their 2-0 deficit to Los Angeles.

"Last game, we did what we set out to do and we're looking to replicate that effort tonight," Pickard said. "Skating and rolling all four lines – you saw it for a full 60 minutes last game from top to bottom, and everybody did their job. We kept the shifts short. We swarmed in the o-zone, cycled the puck and took pucks the net. It could've been a bigger result for sure, but it was a really good lockdown performance at the end. We're looking to do the same tonight."

Head Coach Kris Knoblauch doesn't want to change a winning lineup, but is encouraged by the options they have available if a change is needed.

"I hope to keep our lines the same as much as possible and not have to fluctuate," Knoblauch said. "There'll always be fluctuation just because of injuries, somebody's not playing well and line matchups where we have to change something, but often when there's a lot of changes to the lines, it's usually because you're not playing well and things aren't going well, and you're searching for answers and you're being almost desperate to change things.

"I definitely liked what I saw in our game the other night in Game 5. We are going to start like that and we'll see how long it lasts, but I think right now, I'm optimistic that I found something that I like. But of course, that can always change."

The Oilers have been bolstered by the return of their players who carried injuries into the playoffs, including Evander Kane, who's been a force and chipping in with two goals and an assist in four games since reutrning from his recovery from off-season surgery after missing 10 months and the full regular season.

Kane's commanding presence on the ice gives Edmonton a physical and offensive threat in their bottom six, and the 33-year-old has been able to get himself up to speed at an impressive speed to have a greater impact in the playoffs.

"I think it certainly helps our team with the way Evander's playing, and it gives us a lot more options. I'm pleasantly surprised at how well he's played," Knoblauch said. "Evander is a tremendous hockey player, and even the best players take a while to get going and play their best after 10 months. Evander's done an exceptional job finding his game and contributing with a couple key goals in this series, an assist and a ton of physicality. It's nice that he's been bringing it."

Another key performer in this series has been Jake Walman, who leads the playoffs in plus/minus at plus-8 after being one of the many Oilers who were injured coming into the playoffs. The 29-year-old only had one game of post-season experience before being acquired by the Oilers at the Trade Deadline, and Knoblauch has been the most impressed by the blueliner's skating ability as another strong puckmover in his team's D corps alongside John Klingberg.

"There was several times in the last game where he had a puck in the corner and he's been able to use his legs to get that puck out of trouble rather than just rimming it around the boards," Knoblauch said. "Then also defensively, being able to close and being quick, and that all starts with him skating. I think he's a very smart hockey player that's got some offensive flair. I just think overall, he's been playing really well.

"We talk about those players coming back from injury and you're not sure exactly what they're going to give you, but he's another guy that's been able to find his game very quickly."

View the Oilers Projected Game 6 Lineup vs. Los Angeles below:

Nugent-Hopkins - McDavid - Hyman
Podkolzin - Draisaitl - Arvidsson
Kane - Henrique - Brown
Frederic - Janmark - Perry

Nurse - Bouchard
Walman - Klingberg
Kulak - Emberson

Pickard
Skinner