Decisive Game 7 in Edmonton against Los Angeles is 'what dreams are made of'

For goalie Mike Smith, this is what the NHL playoffs are all about.

With a victory in L.A. on Thursday, Smith and the Oilers forced a Game 7 in their first-round series against the Kings. The decisive matchup will go Saturday in Edmonton.

"It's obviously what dreams are made of, going to Game 7 back at home in Edmonton," the netminder said. "So guys are pretty excited."

They dropped a tight Game 1 at home, captured blowout victories in Games 2 and 3, then were shutout in Game 4.

After a slow start in Game 5, Edmonton came back to force overtime, but ultimately took a 5-4 loss that put the team on the brink of elimination.

WATCH | Kempe wins Game 5 in OT:

Thursday's Game 6 saw the Oilers take an early lead, but the Kings equalized in the third before Tyson Barrie put away the game-winning strike with just over five minutes left on the clock and Evander Kane added an empty-net goal to seal the 4-2 victory.

Each game has represented a different set of circumstances, Edmonton's head coach Jay Woodcroft said Friday.

"We've already moved past the previous six games," he said. "Our focus is on being the best we can be tomorrow. We know we're going to have to be better than we were yesterday. And we're excited about doing it in front of the most rabid fans in the National Hockey League."

Many in the Oilers' locker room are familiar with the pressure that comes from playing in big moments.

Duncan Keith has suited up in 141 NHL playoff games and won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks. Brett Kulak was on the blue-line for Montreal's storied playoff run last season and Zach Hyman felt the glare of the spotlight during his six seasons in Toronto.

The Kings, meanwhile, have 11 players who've made their playoff debuts this season.