The first four games of the opening-round series between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings have featured a little bit of everything.

The Kings have asserted their dominance at times. The Oilers haven’t thrown in the towel. They’ve at least drawn even in the third period on three of the four attempts in which they’ve trailed entering that frame.

The result is a roller coaster of a matchup, likely the wildest and most entertaining of the first round. There have been 39 goals scored between the two teams — an average of nearly 10 per contest. It’s only fitting that this series is tied heading into Tuesday’s Game 5.

That’s where we come in. How did things get to this point? What needs to change? What should you expect? Let’s break it down with the proceedings down to a best-of-three.

What has worked for the Oilers

It’s been the same blueprint for the Oilers that they’ve enjoyed the previous three years against the Kings. When the stars begin to take over, there’s no stopping them.

Connor McDavid almost single-handedly willed the Oilers to a comeback win in Game 1 with four points from the end of the second period onward. Leon Draisaitl was nearly as good to close out Game 4 and notched his first playoff overtime goal. They both have nine points in the series. And don’t forget about Evan Bouchard. Though there have been some notable defensive errors, especially early in the series, he was instrumental in back-to-back victories by scoring a pair of goals in each contest. He’s up to seven points.

Those three drive the bus for the Oilers, and it’s been apparent in this series. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman

What has worked for the Kings

Scoring across their forward lineup. The Kings have gotten production from the three lines that they’re counting on. Six forwards have scored two goals or more. It’s a far cry from last year when they didn’t get a lot beyond Adrian Kempe’s four goals in a five-game loss.

Kempe was held off the scoreboard in Game 4, but he’s got four goals to lead them and has been dangerous every time he has the puck and time to shoot. Kevin Fiala is up to three goals in the series after his breakaway goal Sunday. Andrei Kuzmenko and Quinton Byfield had goals in each of their victories at home, too.

The Kings have also gotten a combined five goals from their line of Warren Foegele, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore. Helping the cause is a power play that’s gone 7-for-15 (46.7 percent), though it didn’t cash in three Game 4 chances. — Eric Stephens

What hasn’t worked for the Oilers

Those stirring third-period comeback attempts sure have been entertaining. The Oilers have scored nine times in the final frame of regulation to go along with Draisaitl’s extra-time marker. As McDavid said, it’s good to know they have that in them — and probably unsettling to the Kings, too.

Having to go to that well so often isn’t ideal, though.

“We’re never going to quit, no matter what,” Draisaitl said. “We’ve shown that in the series so far — maybe a little bit too much. We have to find a way to play with a lead and play that type of game as well.”

The Oilers have opened the scoring just once. That happened when they built up a 2-0 lead in Game 3 before having it fritter away in the second period. They’ve led for a total of 29:36, all in that one contest. Knoblauch feels that the team has been “too cautious” early in games.

Their special teams were awful in Los Angeles but were better in Edmonton. The Oilers have capitalized on four of their last five power plays, including Draisaitl’s overtime goal. The penalty kill stymied all three Kings’ man advantages in Game 4, keeping them off the scoreboard for the first time in a game all series. — Nugent-Bowman

What hasn’t worked for the Kings

Managing third-period leads. To this point, it’s the defining element of this series, and it will be looked at as a monstrous missed opportunity if they lose. They’ve held late leads in all four games, with the 6-2 win in Game 2 being the one time when they didn’t give it up and won going away.

A common theme has been the Kings being in protect mode and sitting back too much. Strong defense is in their DNA, and that mindset works against most teams, but this is no ordinary opponent. With perhaps the exception of Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, there’s no other team that has a duo like McDavid and Draisaitl that can have the Oilers come in waves — like Game 4 in overtime — and is dangerous at every single moment.

“They have great players,” Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper said. “When they turn it on, they’ve put us on our heels a little bit. And I think we got to make sure that we look at it and even when we have the lead, just keep playing the same way and trying to get on the forecheck and get the offensive zone cycles going and take it to them a little bit instead of sitting back too much.” — Stephens

Oilers pleasant surprise

Maybe Corey Perry shouldn’t be a surprise anymore. He scored 19 goals in the regular season in a largely reduced role.

The 39-year-old just seems to be made for this time of year. He’s been to the Stanley Cup Final five times, winning once, and has suited up in 219 career playoff games.

“There’s no better time to play — April, May and June,” Perry said. “This is what you dream about as a kid. This is why we play the game.”

Perry has been getting some first-line minutes with McDavid and Draisaitl. He has also been used at times in Zach Hyman’s typical net-front position on the first power play because of his “touch and fitness,” according to Knoblauch.

That move proved fruitful in Game 4 as Perry recorded two points in that situation. He got the Oilers on the board by showing some creative hand-eye coordination and then knocked a loose puck to Draisaitl for his decisive goal.

“He just reads the play before it happens and he knows how to maneuver himself into situations to be successful,” Draisaitl said. “He can truly play any type of game.”

Perry’s performance so far couldn’t be more different from last year’s postseason. He had three points while appearing in 19 of 25 games on the Cup run. He’s already matched his offensive output in just four contests.

John Klingberg also deserves a shoutout for his strong efforts in the last three games after playing in just 11 NHL contests before the playoffs since Nov. 11, 2023. — Nugent-Bowman

Kings pleasant surprise

Danault has been an invaluable player for the Kings since he signed a six-year free-agent contract in the summer of 2021 after six seasons in Montreal. The matchup center often gets the toughest defensive assignments while providing additional support offensively. While his 27-goal season in 2021-22 is an outlier, the 32-year-old can usually be counted on for 15-to-18 goals.

This season, Danault finished with only eight in the regular season. Coach Jim Hiller pinned it on hard luck, but it was his lowest total over an 82-game season since 2017-18. But the third-line center has had a big series. He scored twice in Game 1, including the last-minute game-winner. In Game 4, his won puck battle set up Moore in the first period and pokecheck sprung Foegele for a second-period goal. Two assists on Sunday gave him seven points.

“Best hockey I’ve seen him play,” Hiller said. “I’m going to take it one step further. Blocking shots, winning faceoffs, killing penalties. He’s been really, really good. And that’s what you need this time of the year. It’s always great to see players rise above and he’s one of those guys that have done that so far.” — Stephens

Oiler who needs to step up

The good news for the Oilers is they’ve slowly been getting better defensively, and the results have followed. They surrendered seven goals over almost seven periods in Edmonton after giving up 12 over the first two games in Los Angeles. Big mistakes are being cut down even if clear-cut chances haven’t been eliminated.

The thing is, those clear-cut chances have often ended up in the net. Calvin Pickard couldn’t stop Foegele after he benefited from a turnover while behind the defense, nor was he able to turn aside Fiala’s breakaway goal. The previous two pucks that got by Pickard came off Moore’s stick. Neither was a tremendous shot by the shooter.

The Oilers need more saves, whether from Pickard or Game 1 starter Stuart Skinner. Pickard has an .889 save percentage, whereas Skinner’s was .810 before he was pulled midway through Game 2.

It’s worth noting that Knoblauch hinted that he might keep McDavid and Draisaitl together and try to look for advantageous matchups on the road. If that’s the case, the Oilers could use more from their next wave of forwards — Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane. That line underwhelmed in Game 2. — Nugent-Bowman

King who needs to step up

That would be Hiller. It might seem odd not to put a player in here, but his players have done a lot of good work over the four games. Enough to where they should be holding a series lead and preparing to close it out, if not already set to move on to the next round.

His decision to challenge for goalie interference in Game 3 led right to Edmonton scoring the tiebreaking goal on the ensuing play. As risky and confounding as it was on a play where it didn’t look like there was clear-cut interference by Kane on Kuemper, it is Hiller’s determination to rely solely on three lines and five defensemen — it’s really four, as Brandt Clarke is essentially playing 11 minutes per game.

Fatigue appeared to play a role in Game 4, where the Oilers wore down the Kings with a big push in the third period and overtime. Fourth-liners Jeff Malott, Samuel Helenius and Trevor Lewis are barely seeing the ice. Alex Turcotte hasn’t been in since Game 1. Jordan Spence, a regular on defense throughout the season, is now out of the mix. Jacob Moverare has played twice but only averaged two and a half minutes.

Depth was supposed to be the Kings’ calling card, but Hiller isn’t tapping into that. Now with last change at home for Game 5, will he look to give more minutes to his players down the lineup, at least in less stressful situations, where they can take some of the load off the 13 players they’re relying heavily on? — Stephens

Why the Oilers could win

There are two clear reasons the Oilers should have the upper hand.

The first is improving health. No, not everyone is back to full capacity, as Knoblauch said before Game 4. But the needle is moving in the right direction for players who were out of commission to end the regular season.

Draisaitl looks just fine. Hyman and Jake Walman are pushing through. Kane and Trent Frederic have contributed, particularly the former. Klingberg has played his best hockey as an Oiler. Mattias Ekholm’s absence still stings, but at least Troy Stecher is ready to play and adds more depth to the blue line.

The second is related to the first. The Oilers should be “fresher,” to borrow Knoblauch’s word from Sunday’s postgame availability, because they’re using a deeper roster. The Kings are using nine forwards and largely four defensemen, with No. 5 blueliner Brandt Clarke getting No. 6 minutes.

It’s harder to win that way in a longer series.

One last thing: The Oilers have the two best players in the series in McDavid and Draisaitl. With due respect to the relentless Kempe, the Oilers’ gamebreakers are on a different level.

“I’m sure there are people doubting us still, but we like it that way,” McDavid said. “A lot of people are counting us out, but we’re fighting.” — Nugent-Bowman

Why the Kings could win

For a lot of stretches, the Kings have shown themselves to be the better team. They’re finishing enough of their quality scoring chances and they’ve already forced a goaltending change with the Oilers moving away from Skinner to Pickard. Pickard has had a good season as a backup, but he shouldn’t scare this group.

Kuemper is the better goalie. NHL general managers recognized his stellar season with a Vezina Trophy finalist nod. The Kings might have been finished earlier in overtime if he hadn’t come up with several terrific stops among his 44-save effort. “I think from my standpoint, I just want to be better and better each game,” he said. “Build as the series goes along. Just try to be tough to beat every night and make them earn their goals and do my job to give us a chance to win.”

Edmonton’s power play awakening is a concern. But the Kings have played well. They’ve scored first in three of the four contests and they’re coming back home to surroundings where they have thrived all season. It’s a best-of-3 now with two in L.A. Home ice has mattered all year, so why not now? If they grab the lead again in Game 5 and take it into the third period, they just need to manage the game better and continue attacking. Put the Oilers on the defensive like in Game 2. — Stephens

(Photo of Adrian Kempe, Connor McDavid and Andrei Kuzmenko: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images)