By virtue of their dramatic overtime victory in Raleigh on Wednesday night, the Edmonton Oilers managed to stay alive in their Stanley Cup Finals series against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Oilers entered Game 5 down three games to one, a deficit from which only one team in finals history, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, has recovered. The teams face off again on Saturday night in Edmonton, and the atmosphere at Rexall Place is sure to be raucous.

Perhaps the most shocking part of the Oilers’ Game 5 win was that they won in spite of themselves. Their once-potent power play, which had recorded just one goal in 25 tries through the series, again tallied just one goal in seven tries on the night. Edmonton also took numerous bad penalties throughout the game, giving the dangerous Carolina power play far many opportunities to take control of the game. Put simply, the Oilers played with fire on Wednesday, and were fortunate not to get burned.

In the end, it was the Hurricanes’ power play that failed. With Oilers defenseman Steve Staios in the sin bin for tripping, Edmonton penalty killer Ethan Moreau aggressively pursued Cory Stillman as he moved the puck up the left wing boards, forcing him to rush a weak cross-ice pass to Eric Staal. The Oilers’ Fernando Pisani pounced and took possession of the puck, then rushed in alone and ripped it top-shelf past Cam Ward to force Game 6 – the first short-handed overtime goal in finals history.

One of the most interesting facets of this series is the impact the coaches are able to have on home ice. With the opportunity to make the last change, Carolina head man Peter Laviolette and Edmonton’s Craig MacTavish are able to control not only the on-ice matchups, but the pace of the game as well. In three games in Raleigh, the ‘Canes and Oilers have combined for 21 goals. By contrast, the two games played in Edmonton have seen just six combined goals.

Throughout the regular season and playoffs, the Hurricanes have cultivated a well-deserved reputation as an extremely fast, aggressive team. With a plethora of top-notch scoring threats on their top three lines, they are able to keep near-constant pressure on opponents, and the results are indisputable. Staal led the team with 100 points during the regular season, and his 27 playoff points leads all players. Two other ‘Canes forwards, Cory Stillman and Rod Brind’Amour, are also among the top five playoff scorers.

Meanwhile, the Oilers’ success is attributable to their rock-solid defense and dangerous counterattacking, which is an important reason why the hockey played in this series has been so compelling. Just as the dynastic New Jersey Devils were most exciting when they were matched up against a high-flying opponent (like, for example, Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche), so too are the Oilers’ battles with Carolina.

Defenseman Chris Pronger leads all Edmonton scorers with 21 points, and is without question the key to the team’s success. The indomitable blueliner has averaged more than 31 minutes per game during the playoffs, and is depended upon in virtually every game situation. Perhaps most impressive of all, Pronger has served only 26 minutes in penalties through the playoffs despite logging all that ice time; three Hurricanes – Bret Hedican, Mike Commodore, and Justin Williams – have each spent more time in the penalty box than has Pronger.

But the biggest story for the Oilers is Pisani. A career third- and fourth-liner, Pisani has scored more than 20 goals only once in a career that started at Providence College back in 1996-97 (he scored 26 goals for the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs in 2001-02). Improbably, the checking winger has emerged as “Mr. Clutch” for Edmonton this spring, and his 12 playoff goals has him tied for the NHL lead with Brind’Amour.

Down 3-2 in the series, the Oilers will once again have their backs to the wall on Saturday. They have been surprisingly cool and collected throughout the playoffs, perhaps because they’ve been playing with “house money” as an unheralded eighth seed. Still, the Oilers were fortunate to escape with a victory in Game 5, their generally atrocious special teams performance redeemed only by Pisani’s game-winning shorthanded tally in overtime.

Edmonton might have an advantage out of the gate with the possible absence of Hurricanes scoring star (and former Oiler) Doug Weight, who injured his right shoulder early in the third period on Wednesday. Though he later returned to the bench, Weight did not take another shift. Weight was acquired from the St. Louis Blues just prior to the Olympic break, and though he struggled initially upon his arrival in Raleigh, he has since emerged as one of the team’s most important players.

Expect a defensive struggle on Saturday night, as MacTavish will do everything in his power to contain Carolina’s hard-charging forwards. If the Oilers manage to improve their special teams play – and if Weight is unable to suit up for the ‘Canes – look for the plucky Oilers to force a Game 7 and transform this into perhaps the most exciting Cup Finals since the Rangers and Canucks went seven in 1994.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.