In their third consecutive year meeting up in the first round of the NHL playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers are once again on the verge of knocking out the Los Angeles Kings.
With a 3-1 lead in the series, two of the three best players in the world on their side, and an ascendant and hot goaltender, it's hard to see the Kings coming back in this one.
So how have Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Stuart Skinner gotten the job done so far?
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The answer is that the Oilers have had a lot of things working for them. They have won games with their overwhelming offensive firepower as well as through goaltending.
Stuart Skinner absolutely stole Game 4 for the Oilers by shutting the Kings out when they thoroughly outplayed his team.
It's the type of performance that the Oilers have scarcely gotten in playoff runs past, when goaltending has been more of what caused them to get bounced than what got them where they did.
Of course, the offense has been humming in their other wins. McDavid leads the playoffs in points with 10, and Draisaitl is in a tie for third place with eight.
The Oilers' power play is converting its opportunities at a jaw-dropping clip of over 50 percent, an insane number that is not sustainable over the long run but is not too crazy given the skill Edmonton possesses.
Edmonton needs just one more win to close out the Kings, which could set up an exciting Western Canada series against the Vancouver Canucks, who hold a 3-1 lead over the Nashville Predators.
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