The Oilers conclude their four game road trip tonight looking to break even in Los Angeles against the Kings. This will be the second of five meetings between the rivals on the year, they will next meet in Edmonton on December 29th.
The Oilers will be without F’s Connor McDavid, Lauri Korpikoski and Rob Klinkhammer, all of whom are on the IR. The team is also expected to healthy scratch D’s Andrew Ference and Brandon Davidson. The Kings enter tonight without F Dwight King and D Matt Greene, both of whom are currently on the IR.
Anders Nilsson is expected to start for Edmonton while Jonathan Quick gets the nod for the Kings.
Last Games:
Edmonton: The Oilers last played on Thursday night in Arizona against the Coyotes. Edmonton got off to a roaring start, dominating the first five minutes and taking an early lead compliments Taylor Hall at the 3:03 mark. After that, however, it was all Coyotes.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored 16:49 into the game to tie things up, then Arizona turned up the heat. Shane Doan and Stefan Elliott would score four minutes apart in the middle frame to put Arizona ahead, while Max Domi would score 11:28 into the third to seal the Coyotes’ 4-1 victory.
Los Angeles: The Kings were in a New York state of mind on Thursday as they hosted the Islanders. The sides played an even game throughout the night, with goaltending being a major factor. The Islanders dominated early, and as a result took a lead 10:41 in thanks to Brock Nelson.
The Kings would settle in however, and Drew Doughty would tie things just six minutes after Nelson opened the scoring with a power-play goal. Milan Lucic would score his fourth of the year just 3:28 into the third to give the Kings a lead they would not lose. Jhonas Enroth would stop 31 shots to preserve the 2-1 Kings win.
Last Meeting:
The Oilers and Kings met just mere weeks ago in Edmonton for a game that will always be remembered for what didn’t happen. The Kings dominated the game early, but the best they could do was trade goals with the Oilers as Benoit Pouliot and Jeff Carter each scored.
LA would control the second period, taking a lead off an Anze Kopitar goal 13:36 in, before settling in for a crazy final twenty minutes. Taylor Hall tied things 13:56 in, but Tanner Pearson put LA on top 16:34 in on the power-play. With the net empty, Edmonton pushed hard to tie things but were robbed of a goal in the final seconds, cementing LA’s 3-2 win.
Keys To The Game:
Edmonton: Outside of the first five minutes in Arizona, Edmonton failed to sustain any kind of pressure on the Coyotes. That needs to change tonight, if the Oilers want to win this game, they’ll need to find a way to put pucks on net and put a little pressure on the Kings defense and goaltending.
Los Angeles: As per usual with the Kings against Edmonton, this is all about playing physical. If the Kings play their style, big and tough, then they’ll once again push Edmonton around and beat the Oilers. They have to be willing to pay the price with their bodies here.
Players To Watch:
Edmonton: Matt Hendricks is expected to return to the lineup tonight after missing three games with an injured foot. Hendricks is Edmonton’s heart and soul forward who provides the needed grit and toughness in the lineup while still being an effective player. The Oilers always play a little harder with him in the lineup, I’ll be interested to see if that trend continues.
Los Angeles: Anze Kopitar is playing for a new contract, he’s hungry and out to prove something. Add to that fact that he’s one of the best two-way centers in the game and that he’s had constant success against Edmonton and it’s easy to see why I’ll be keeping a close eye on him tonight.
Quick Hits:
This is the final game of a five game homestand for the Kings, who will spend the next 13 days on the road. Oilers F Benoit Pouliot, who was sick Thursday, returns to the lineup tonight. The Oilers sent F Anton Slepyshev back to the AHL on Friday afternoon, he was recalled to replace Pouliot on Thursday. Kings F Anze Kopitar is battling a lower-body injury but is expected to play tonight, he blocked a shot on Thursday night.
The Lines:
Edmonton Oilers Lines:
Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Benoit Pouliot – Mark Letestu – Nail Yakupov
Teddy Purcell – Anton Lander – Jordan Eberle
Matt Hendricks – Andrew Miller – Iiro Pakarinen
Darnell Nurse – Andrej Sekera
Oscar Klefbom – Marl Fayne
Griffin Reinhart – Eric Gryba
Anders Nilsson
Los Angeles Kings Lines:
Milan Lucic – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Tanner Pearson – Anze Kopitar – Marian Gaborik
Dustin Brown – Nick Shore – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Andy Andreoff – Jordan Nolan
Brayden McNabb – Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin – Alec Martinez
Christian Ehrhoff – Jamie McBain
Jonathan Quick
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