Oilers come out on top in chippy playoff preview against Kings
The Edmonton Oilers defeated the LA Kings by a score of 4-1 on Thursday night off the back of a 32-save performance from Stuart Skinner.
Connor McDavid picked up a goal and two assists to move to 122 points on the season. He is now just 5 assists away from 100, which would make him just the fourth player in NHL history to reach the century mark in a single season.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch liked how his team handled the Kings’ dreaded 1-3-1 system.
“I thought we were patient. We didn’t force things going through the neutral zone,” Knoblauch told reporters after the game. “In the third period, they had more momentum, they had more offensive zone time and it came down to just being able to execute that next play.”
Connor McDavid with three 120-point seasons in a row š¤øāāļø pic.twitter.com/0uobZzh883
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 29, 2024
Adam Henrique got one smacked off his chest into the Kings’ net on a pass from Draisaitl and then Evan Bouchard continued his dominant offensive season, smashing home a slapshot on the power play to make it 3-0 in the third period.
“Those guys are so skilled, just try to establish that net-front presence and got a fortunate bounce,” Henrique said after the game. “It was a pretty good chest bump.”
Henrique now has 21 goals on the season and three with the Oilers.
EDM LAK G71. March 28, 2024. Adam Henrique goal. 2-0. š„: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/hIXVOWz0jK
— Nation Network Media (@NationNMedia) March 29, 2024
It was a game with playoff-like intensity as both teams were fully aware that they may cross paths in the first round of the playoffs in just a few short weeks. Skinner’s shutout bid was ended with just over six minutes left courtesy of Arthur Kalieyev off the rush.
Skinner got a little shaken up in the first period after an awkward collision with Blake Lizotte. He was down for a while but managed to stay in the game.
“Felt good… he came in pretty hard, I’m not too sure what happened on his end,” Skinner told the media. “You just kind of make sure that the adrenaline is not too high where you’re not really feeling any pain… Took a couple of deep breaths and made sure that the body was all good.”
EDM LAK G71. March 28, 2024. Blake Lizotte runs into Stuart Skinner. š„: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/hF1g18cuzb
— Nation Network Media (@NationNMedia) March 29, 2024
Cody Ceci sealed things off with an empty-netter for his third of the season.
The win moves Edmonton’s record to 44-23-4 and 92 points on the season. They also come up victorious in the season series, taking home three of the four games between the two clubs. The Oilers now have some breathing room for second spot in the Pacific Division, as they are four points up on the Vegas Golden Knights and five up on the Kings.
As for Edmonton’s conquest for the Pacific Division title, they now sit six back of the Vancouver Canucks (pending the results of their game against the Dallas Stars tonight).
Next up on the docket is the Anaheim Ducks, who are in town on Saturday.
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