Oilers take series stranglehold with shutout win in LA
The Edmonton Oilers shut out the LA Kings 1-0 in Game 4 to take a dominant 3-1 lead in their opening-round series.
Stuart Skinner was excellent between the pipes, stopping all 32 shots that the Kings sent his way for his first shutout of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Evan Bouchard was the only player on either team to score, slamming home a power-play marker in the second period for his first of the postseason.
“I thought our team defence was good,” Mattias Ekholm said after the game. “I thought we limited the chances that were quality grade A’s… you have to squeak them out.”
BOUCH BOMB TO OPEN THE SCORING! 💣 pic.twitter.com/tjDeBHuxNC
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 29, 2024
Defensive details
The Oilers were not the better offensive team in this one.
With the Kings upset with their performance in the previous game, they came out flying and threw everything they had at Skinner. In the end, the shot clock heavily favoured LA by a 32-13 margin, but a lot of their shots had to come from the outside.
“I thought our D did a heck of a job in front of Stu clearing pucks and eliminating second opportunities,” Corey Perry told reporters after the game. “These are the types of games you have to win in the playoffs.”
Edmonton showed off that they weren’t a one-trick pony and played a very solid defensive game in front of Skinner, who rewarded them with a shutout effort.
This is the type of game that the Oilers have lost so many times before, but tonight showed that they have learned how to win games when their offensive machines aren’t running. That bodes well for a long playoff run.
Skinner puts his stamp on the series
Remember when goaltending was a question mark for the Oilers in this series?
After a forgettable performance in Game 2, Skinner has absolutely flipped the narrative and has arguably been the Oilers’ best player over the last two games. Tonight marked the sophomore goaltender’s first-ever shutout in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he had to make a few tricky ones to get it.
“I thought he was unbelievable,” Ekholm said of his goaltender. “You have to really make a good play to beat him right now, which is obviously a great feeling for us knowing he’s the backbone of our team.”
Edmonton needed more from Skinner in this series and he has provided just that.
Boucha Bombs
The Oilers have been dynamite on the special teams and that continued tonight.
Edmonton got just a single PP chance all night long, but it didn’t take long for them to take advantage of it. It seemed like the Oilers felt like Bouchard was due to finish on one of his signature “Bouch Bombs” as they fed him a total of three times before one eventually beat David Rittich.
Bouchard now has a goal to add to the five assists he already has in this series.
The Oilers will now have a chance to eliminate the Kings on home ice as Game 5 is set to go on Wednesday night.
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