The Edmonton Oilers visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon with eyes on pulling even in points as the clubs jockey for home-ice advantage in the playoffs.
The third-place Oilers (44-26-5, 93 points) reside two points in back of the Kings (43-23-9, 95 points) in the Pacific Division. Edmonton defeated Los Angeles in five games during the teams’ Western Conference first-round series last spring.
Each team carries a three-game win streak into Saturday’s contest.
The Oilers have posted 3-2 decisions in each of their last three games. They defeated the Calgary Flames in overtime on March 29 before toppling the first-place Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday and San Jose Sharks on Thursday.
Jeff Skinner scored and set up a goal versus the Sharks and defenseman Evan Bouchard notched a pair of assists. Viktor Arvidsson extended his goal streak to three games and Calvin Pickard made 27 saves in the win.
Unfortunately for the Oilers, the victory wasn’t the lead story from Thursday’s game as Leon Draisaitl left the contest in the second period with an undisclosed injury.
The victory over the Sharks was just Draisaitl’s third game back in action after missing four games with an undefined ailment.
“No, I don’t (have an update). I haven’t seen our training staff yet,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said following the game.
The Oilers also are without superstar captain Connor McDavid, who has been sidelined since March 20 with a lower-body injury.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner also is expected to miss the remaining two contests of their current four-game road swing with a head injury.
“You never want to miss those guys,” Knoblauch said. “You never want your top players not to play because every time they’re not in, it decreases your chances of winning because they are good players. What happens is other guys have some opportunities, get some confidence, hopefully score some goals, because we’re going to need them.”
Los Angeles’ three-game win streak has consisted of home victories over the Sharks and Winnipeg Jets and, most recently, a 4-2 road win Thursday over the Utah Hockey Club.
Adrian Kempe and Trevor Moore each extended their goal streaks to three games. Defenseman Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala both tallied for the Kings, who earned their 12th win over their past 15 outings.
Saturday’s crucial clash marks the beginning of a four-game homestand for Los Angeles.
“We’ve played them a lot over the last few years,” said Moore, when asked about their upcoming match with the Oilers. “They’re probably a first-round opponent. So, we’re going to be giving it our all and, like we always do against those guys, it’s a tough game.”
The Oilers have bested the Kings in the first round of the playoffs on three consecutive occasions. Edmonton held home-ice advantage in each of the three encounters.
These Pacific Division rivals conclude their season series April 14 in Edmonton.
–Field Level Media
