The Oilers have mastered the art of the comeback win: ‘This team is built for the playoffs’

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LAS VEGAS — Successful comebacks often come with a level of flukiness, especially when they happen so often. The Edmonton Oilers’ victories are proving to be an exception.

The Oilers secured their fifth straight come-from-behind win — an NHL playoff record — when they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 in their series opener on Tuesday. This one, as is becoming the norm, was no accident.

“You don’t want to be down in five games, but we have the experience that we can come back, and we can fight our way out of it,” winger Zach Hyman said. “You have to have that belief in your group when you’re down that you can come back. If you don’t, you’re not going to win five in a row like that.”

Hyman’s goal with barely three minutes left in the third served as the winner in a game the Oilers dominated for most of the night. They fully and completely deserved their fate of overcoming a two-goal deficit.

The same goes for the previous two games as well.

The Los Angeles Kings held a 1-0 lead into the second period of Game 5 in Round 1 only because of Darcy Kuemper’s heroics in net. Though Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch felt the Oilers defended poorly in Game 6, they hung tough initially and got better and better as the contest wore on.

The Oilers didn’t win by chance.

Even their first two victories of the playoffs, those miraculous third-period rallies at home, were the result of the Oilers caving in a passive Kings team using a limited bench. Other than the Game 2 drubbing in Los Angeles, you can make a case the Oilers have been the better team in each game they’ve played.

“This team is built for the playoffs,” Hyman said. “We’re built with guys who have experience, who have been here, who can take their game to another level. We have a long way to go here.”

The Oilers looked like a battle-hardened playoff team in Las Vegas. Their trailing was more misfortune than anything else.

Mark Stone had the second deflection from a Golden Knights player on the opening goal. That occurred with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the penalty box on a double minor for a high-sticking call that needed a video review to confirm.

Stone’s second tally came on a counterattack after Leon Draisaitl’s intended pass to Connor McDavid in the offensive zone hit the skate of a Golden Knights defender, allowing for an easy transition up ice.

The Oilers shouldn’t have been down 2-0, but they played as if they were undeterred.

Corey Perry sliding a puck around Vegas goalie Adin Hill after a passing play from McDavid and Draisaitl helped turn the tide.

“That gave our bench a little bit of life and excitement,” Knoblauch said.

The Oilers absolutely dictated the proceedings in the second period. They outshot the Golden Knights 12-1 and out-attempted them 28-11 in all situations. It felt as if they had the puck in the offensive zone for most of the 20 minutes.

“When we’re playing our best, we’re fast,” Hyman said. “When we’re fast, we wear the other team down and it’s hard to generate because you’re tired and you have to change.”

They didn’t score, though, which might have deterred most teams. It didn’t affect their offensive push after the intermission.

“We played a really good second period. We have nothing to show for it, and there was no panic,” Knoblauch said. “We just came out in the third and continued business.”

“We knew we were creating,” defenceman John Klingberg said. “We limited them to one shot. We were feeling good about our game.”

Hyman likened Tuesday to Game 5 in Los Angeles. The Oilers shouldn’t have been tied with the Kings entering the third, and they never let up. They were rewarded by Mattias Janmark netting the go-ahead goal.

“If we play like that, we have a really good chance of winning,” Hyman said. “We don’t focus on when we’re going to score. It’s just a matter of time if we’re playing that way. We just focus on that. We don’t get frustrated.”

That mindset paid off again. Draisaitl tied the score 57 seconds into the final period when he banked a shot off Hill from a tight angle.

That set the stage for Hyman to net the winning goal with 3:02 remaining and Connor Brown to add an insurance marker 1:16 later. They took advantage of the Golden Knights missing top defenceman Alex Pietrangelo to illness.

They’ve now outscored opponents 18-6 in the final frame of regulation and overtime in the playoffs.

“If you can pick a period that you can be the strongest in as a coach, you want to be best in the third period because that’s where it’s going to come down to,” Knoblauch said. “I’ve been very happy with our third periods.”

The Oilers stayed the course on Tuesday, as they largely have of late when behind, and a just outcome followed. They carried far more of the play in the highly anticipated matchup of the top lines: McDavid, Draisaitl and Perry vs. Stone, Jack Eichel and William Karlsson.

“We have the luxury that they’re playing together, which gives us an advantage because I don’t think anybody can match when those two are together,” Hyman said of Nos. 97 and 29.

Their depth then won out, which didn’t happen in the 2023 series and was a major factor in the Golden Knights moving on in six games. As Hyman pointed out, the Oilers got goals from three different lines, including the two late ones from the second and third trios.

Shots favoured the Oilers 28-17. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers had a massive 13-3 advantage in high-danger chances and 72 expected goals percentage at five-on-five.

Really, the only hardship the Oilers had on Tuesday was getting down on the scoreboard yet again. They fixed that with ease.

“In the playoffs, you’ve got to know how to win different scenarios,” Klingberg said. “Knowing we can come back in games with the players that we have here, we know we can do that. That’s a huge plus.”

Then, with a laugh, Klingberg added, “But maybe the next few games, play with a lead a little bit.”

Trailing isn’t ideal. Every Oiler has mentioned that over the past several days and repeated it after the win on Tuesday.

But they’ve certainly mastered their comeback technique, which earned them their fourth Game 1 win in 15 tries in the McDavid and Draisaitl era.

“We have experience to win games in a lot of different ways and a lot of untraditional ways,” Hyman said.

Now, all they need is a few goals earlier in games, and there might be no stopping this team.

(Photo: Candice Ward / Getty Images)

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