On the brink of elimination, Oilers look for quicker start, more consistency

EDMONTON — Time is running out for the Oilers.

Another slow start led to another loss Tuesday and now Edmonton is must-win territory, down 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings in their first-round playoff series.

“It's disappointing. Obviously, you never like to lose," captain Connor McDavid said after the Kings edged the Oilers 5-4 in overtime. "But they give you seven games for a reason and we need to go get one on the road and bring it back to Edmonton.”

Being on the brink of elimination is surprising for a team that finished the regular season on a roll, with an 11-2-1 record in April.

A habit of slow starts has plagued the Oilers through the playoffs, giving the Kings a chance to overwhelm and smother their usually potent offence. The first team on the scoreboard has won the first five games of the series.

In order to keep the season alive with a win in Game 6 on Thursday, Edmonton needs to be ready when the puck drops, said forward Leon Draisaitl.

“The answer lies in the room. We’ve got to come out a little harder," he said. "We’ve got to come out with our skating legs underneath us. We haven't had that the last couple of games really, not any games really in the series. So we're looking to do that."

The start of Tuesday's game simply wasn't at the level it needed to be, said Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft, but there are still positives to be taken from the loss.

Down 3-1 at the start of the third, Edmonton pushed in the final frame, scoring a pair of power-play goals and a short-handed tally to force extra time.

“We’d like to bottle the energy up in the third period, the chemistry that we found in the third period, and bring that into the start of the game," Woodcroft said.

Edmonton's special teams have been