The Edmonton Oilers need a win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night to stay alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If there's anyone the team can rely on, it's veteran blueliner Mattias Ekholm.

Ekholm took time to speak with Canadian outlet Sportsnet ahead of Game 6 on Sunday night. When asked about advice he had for the team ahead of this do-or-die game, Ekholm stressed the need for calm.

“It's the roller coaster of the playoffs. You can't get too high and you can't get too low,” the Oilers defenseman said. “We had a really good emotional win in Game 4 and you feel great. Then you lose Game 5 and you're feeling the opposite. You just have to even that out.”

Ekholm certainly knows just how much of a roller coaster the Stanley Cup Playoffs can be. He made the Stanley Cup Final back in 2017 with the Nashville Predators. Nashville lost that series to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The 32-year-old defenseman spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Predators. Ekholm made eight playoff appearances with Nashville, scoring six goals and 35 points in 75 games.

Ekholm joined the Oilers around the NHL trade deadline as the Predators slipped out of playoff contention. The Swedish blueliner has been a fantastic addition to the Edmonton defense since his arrival.

Ironically, while Ekholm preached the need to be calm, Game 6 got off to a chaotic start. The two teams combined for three goals in the first three minutes as the Oilers took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

If Edmonton prevails on Sunday night, the two teams will play a Game 7. The winner of this series will move on to face either the Dallas Stars or Seattle Kraken in the Western Conference Final.