3 Oilers who need to step up to secure a Game 6 victory

D Vincent Desharnais

Desharnais is another Oilers defenseman who must step up in Game 6 to help the team advance to the next round. Much like Nurse, Desharnais must be ready to answer to the physicality that the Kings will surely implement against them. However, Desharnais has to keep in mind not to take unnecessary penalties when trying to defend against LA. He is a young defenseman and there will be growing pains along the way, but this time of the year is not the time to make those mistakes that can cause a team a loss.

We have seen how the first five games had been called, and even some minuscule defensive mistakes can impact the result of the game. Desharnais and the Oilers cannot put their playoff fate in the hands of the referees, and it is imperative that they have to play Game 6 as cleanly as possible to secure a win. We are not asking Desharnais to play like Ekholm, but to hold his own against this ferocious LA Kings team, that will be fired up as soon as the puck drops. It will go a long way for the Oilers to eliminate the Kings in Game 6 if Desharnais can throw his weight around without being sent into the penalty box.