In fact, it's very familiar for the Oilers.
Fresh off a thrilling 5-4 victory at home over Nashville Friday, the Oilers face another must-win game Sunday evening when they travel to San Jose to take on the Pacific Division-leading Sharks.
Ethan Moreau (right) has four goals, including two game-winners, in the last three games, and has a career-high 20 on the season. (CP PHOTO)
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Not only are the Oilers seeking a season-high fourth straight victory, but they are also looking to pick up points in order to stay in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference.
Edmonton (31-27-12-4) sits in tenth place in the West with 78 points. A win against the Sharks would see the Oilers leapfrog ninth-place Los Angeles (79 points) and move to within one point of St. Louis (81 points) who occupy eighth place and the final playoff spot in the West.
That the Oilers even have a chance of making the post-season is a miracle, considering they are ranked 29th on the power play, 28th when playing short-handed, and are 17th in goals allowed.
So how has Edmonton managed to stay in the playoff picture in the West?
It hasn't been by smoke and mirrors, but by scratching out results and gutting out victories by any means necessary.
Edmonton hasn't lost in regulation since a 4-2 setback in Anaheim on Feb. 25. Since then, the Oilers have gone an impressive 6-0-2-3 in 11 games, playing each contest as if their very lives depended on the outcome.
Like Friday's game against Nashville, one of the teams the Oilers are fighting with for the final playoff spot in the West.
"We played it like it was a playoff game, a series. One game you win ... then you go to the next round," Georges Laraque told the Edmonton Journal. "We're used to doing it."
They'll have to play with that same kind of intensity against the Sharks (37-19-12-6), a team that is undefeated in its last five (4-0-1). San Jose has plenty of motivation coming into Sunday's contest.
The Sharks sit third in the West with 92 points, but can move past second-place Colorado with a win against the Oilers. A victory would also keep alive San Jose's chances of catching conference front-runners Detroit (99 points).
"Our chances of catching Detroit are pretty slim – but, hey, we have a game left with them. And if we can get some help from some other teams here in Southern California, you never know," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said.
"As crazy as it is, we could be playing Detroit for first place. But you don't want to get far ahead of yourselves."
