For the first time this season, the Kings will get a close-up look at the team that has knocked them out of the playoffs in back-to-back years. as the Edmonton Oilers roll into town on Saturday night. Is it a possible playoff rematch once again?
Thus far, the highly talented Oilers have not performed as many expected, yet they enter play tonight having gone 7-3-0 in their most recent 10 games (ed. note: more on Edmonton’s recent run in the Oilers section down below in this article). They are still an incredibly dangerous challenge for coach Todd McLellan’s bunch, despite it being a whirlwind of a campaign for Edmonton. They were said to be a Stanley Cup contender at the start of the year, but quickly fell way out of playoff contention. Jay Woodcroft was relieved of his coaching duties in early November, in an attempt to turn things around and save their season. It’s certainly worked to a certain extent. Edmonton sits just six points out of a wildcard spot and the good news for interim coach Kris Knoblauch is that he still has two of the greatest players on the planet in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That alone gives them a chance to win every night.
Nobody knows this better than McLellan and his group who have not been able to solve the Oilers for two years straight during postseason play. Even though LA is among the top teams in the NHL right now — where their .688 points percentage is third-best in the league — this will be one of LA’s toughest games of the year.
One big key to any success tonight will be the power play. It simply has to be better on home ice; not to mention the fact the Kings are 0-13 with the man-advantage over the last four games.
Staying out of the penalty box will be equally important. With the No. 1 PK in the NHL, the Kings can partially thank the Oilers for this area of improvement in 2023-24. They are a large reason the PK was one of the big areas of focus for McLellan and his staff during the offseason. In order to beat Edmonton in the playoffs, the penalty kill has to do its job. Up to this point, it has vs. other teams.
In net, Cam Talbot is slated to get the start. It’s his first go at his former team while wearing a Kings jersey. He’s given up three goals in back-to-back games now, yet still holds a 2.11 goals against average (second-best in the league) and .924 save percentage (fourth-best).
Mayor’s Manor founder John Hoven was on Edmonton radio to preview the game and share thoughts on the Kings-Oilers rivalry:
EDM RADIO REPLAY: Hoven on Kopitar, Doughty, and Kings-Oilers Hatred
Stats Worth Knowing:
— Trevor Moore has four goals and six points in his last four games against Edmonton, dating back to April 7, 2022.
— Drew Doughty has 19 points (3G, 16A) in his last 18 games against the Oilers, dating back to the 2017-18 season. Doughty’s 19 points vs. Edmonton during that time are tied for the third-most in the league among defenseman behind Quinn Hughes (3-19=22) and Brent Burns (5-15=20).
— In 55 career games against the Oilers, Doughty has notched 41 points (13G, 28A) with a plus-26 rating. He is tied with Rob Blake and Steve Duchesne for the most goals against the Oilers by a defenseman in team history.
— The Kings have successfully killed off 58 of their last 65 penalties, dating back to Nov. 4 at Philadelphia, as part of their league-leading 87.0% penalty-killing percentage (PK%). On home ice, the team has been even better, sporting a 90.2 PK%. Currently, Boston is the only other NHL team with a PK% of 90% or higher on home ice.
— Anze Kopitar enters tonight with 78 points (32G, 46A) since Jan. 1, 2023, and has the opportunity to finish with the team lead in points in a calendar year for the 15th time in his NHL career. The only players to lead their team in points in as many calendar years are Wayne Gretzky (17x), Gordie Howe (16x) and Alex Ovechkin (15x).
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Oilers
Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Danault – Moore
Laferriere – Dubois – Kaliyev
Grundstrom – Lizotte – Lewis
Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Englund – Spence
Talbot (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: Anderson-Dolan, Bjornfot
Injured Reserve: Arvidsson (LTIR), Copley (LTIR)
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised by Bally Sports.
For those live in attendance, the LA Kings Booster Club will offer their popular ‘Puck for a Buck’ contest — featuring Adrian Kempe for this game. Just $1 could win you an autographed puck from an NHL star. Visit their table outside sections 317-318 on the upper concourse for more information.
Across the Ice
Edmonton is coming off a 5-0 shutout of San Jose on Thursday.
Here’s how they lined up for that one:
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman
McLeod – Draisaitl – Foegele
Kane – Ryan – Janmark
Erne – Hamblin – Brown
Nurse – Ceci
Ekholm – Bouchard
Kulak – Desharnais
Skinner
Pickard
Since Knoblauch took over Stuart Skinner is:
1st in wins with 11.
8th in GAA at 2.53.
16th in Sv% at 0.907
The Oilers are:
Tied for 3rd in wins with 13.
1st in GF/GP at 4.05
12th in GA/GP at 2.89.— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) December 29, 2023
https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1740911697844445292
On This Day in Kings History
On December 30, 1999, the @LAKings closed out the year by winning their 1,000th game in franchise history. Jere Karalahti scored his first career goal, Rob Blake scored two goals, and Luc Robitaille recorded five points in an 8-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers.#LAKings #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/meE6xmscbW
— The Kingstorian (@Kingstorian) December 30, 2023
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Lineup graphic via ALoImages
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