Oilers Talk Mindset Heading Into Game 5 vs Panthers

“The last thing they want to do is come back to Edmonton and that’s where we plan on bringing them.” Dylan Holloway said after the morning skate on Tuesday. He’ll be an important part of the puzzle, even though he’s not necessarily regularly relied upon to be a point producer. “You need everybody, you need everybody to be playing,” Connor McDavid said on the importance of the Oilers depth heading into Game 5. “In our room, we’re very comfortable with the depth of this club,” noted Zach Hyman and Connor Brown.

The Oilers have their backs against the wall and they’re used to playing in that situation. It’s not ideal as any team would like to have a lead, but Edmonton has confident playing themselves out of a hole. They did so early in the season and have done so in the playoffs.

While McDavid knows it will take a full team effort, the Oilers and their head coach Kris Knoblauch also know that the big guns need to do what big guns can do. “You need your best players to be your best players,” said Knoblauch as he caught up with the media in Florida Tuesday.

The Panthers want to win the Stanley Cup on home ice Tuesday night. They’ll likely come out of the gate hot and it will be the Oilers who need to weather that early storm.

The Lineup in Game 5 for the Oilers

The lineups are projected to stay the same in Game 5 as they were in Game 4. Calvin Pickard, Jack Campbell, Vincent Desharnais, Sam Carrick, Sam Gagner, and Evander Kane were all on the ice late after an optional Oilers morning skate. Knoblauch wouldn’t reveal if any of these players would be in the lineup, but it looks like they won’t be. There was some talk that Kane might be ready at some point in the series.

Next: Oilers Reveal Odds Evander Kane Plays Again in Stanley Cup Final