The Edmonton Oilers return to Rogers Place on Wednesday for an 8:00 p.m. matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.
You can watch the game on Sportsnet West or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.
Subscribe to Oilers+ to unlock the Pre-Game Show that will begin at 7:30pm MT, along with more exclusive live and behind-the-scenes content.
News and notes from Oilers practice at Rogers Place on Tuesday, including the debut of the Oilers Reverse Retro jerseys.
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EDMONTON, AB – Check back later in the afternoon following media avails for the Pre-Game Report.
— Jamie Umbach, EdmontonOilers.com
OILERS vs. KINGS
STREAM: 8:00 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet West
Oilers Team Scope
The Oilers return home to Rogers Place after a long Eastern Conference road trip where the team went 2-2 against some of the best the East has to offer.
Edmonton picked up the full two points in Tampa Bay and Florida, while Washington and Carolina both handed an Oilers team searching for consistency the loss.
Against the Panthers it was another strong performance by goaltender Stuart Skinner that helped propel Edmonton victory, with the 24-year-old netminder turning aside 40 of 42 shots in the 4-2 win. So far this season, Skinner is tied for the league’s fifth best save percentage with a .932 mark, while adding a 2.53 goals-against average and three wins to his young resume.
On offence, Tyson Barrie scored a pair of goals in very similar fashion, ripping a pair of slap shots from the point past Panthers starter Spencer Knight for his third and fourth goal if the season. Warren Foegele continued his recent run of strong play, scoring the game winner. His current form has seen the 26-year-old potentially elevated to Leon Draisaitl‘s wing on Wednesday against the Kings.
Video: RAW | Jay Woodcroft 11.15.22
Draisaitl and Connor McDavid both recorded a point in the game against the Panthers to extend their multi-game point streaks to 11 and 10 games respectively.
After a much needed day off in Florida, the Oilers headed home and skated on Rogers Place ice in preparation for a team they defeated in seven games in the first round of the NHL Playoffs last season.
“We traveled properly yesterday and we had a good practice today and we’re preparing for a divisional opponent in very competitive, very game LA Kings team,” Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. “We use rest to our advantage and we’re trying to prepare for a team that’s directly in front of us so we know how important the game is tomorrow. I thought today was a good step in the right direction to prepare for them.”
Kings Team Scope
Los Angeles comes to Edmonton with a solid 10-7-1 record and are currently sitting in second place in the Pacific Division, albeit with two more games played than the Oilers. The matchup will be the first time the two teams have met since last year’s postseason where the Oilers eliminated the Kings in seven games to advance past the first round.
“It was a pretty close series. There were a few games that didn’t go our way. I’m sure they would say the same thing, but when you play seven games, it’s not because it was lopsided one way or the other,” Head Coach Todd McLellan said about the series. “There were moments where they had some of their game breakers take over and willed them to a win, and at the end of the day, that’s probably the difference.”
The Kings are coming off a near comeback effort against the Calgary Flames where they battled back from a 5-2 deficit, but fell short in the 6-5 loss at the Scotiabank Saddledome. After Kings practice at Rogers Place on Tuesday, their head coach said the issues that lead to Calgary’s six-goal outburst were addressed with his team.
“When we watched the Calgary game again, I think the will and the effort wanted to be there, but mentally, some real poor decisions and some poor execution. So we just talked about that,” McLellan said. “We showed them a few clips that we thought were doing well in the five games prior, that we didn’t do very well against Calgary, and that we’ll need tomorrow night against a real good team.”
Video: RAW | Stuart Skinner 11.15.22
The Kings saw a pair of goals by Arthur Kaliyev, plus markers by Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, and Kevin Fiala in the defeat — while the Flames were paced by three-point nights by Tyler Toffoli and Elias Lindholm. In net, long-time franchise stalwart Jonathan Quick allowed all six goals against, on 30 Calgary shots in the loss.
Wednesday night’s contest will be the first of four meetings between the two teams this season.
By The Numbers
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are currently tied for the longest and second-longest point streaks of the NHL season with both an 11 & 10 game streak respectively… The 14 points McDavis had in last year’s playoff series against the Kings was the most by a player since Doug Gilmour put up 16 against the San Jose Sharks 18 years prior… Stuart Skinner has the NHL’s third-best high-danger save percentage in the league with an .896 mark on the season…
Kevin Fiala leads all offseason acquisitions in points heading into Tuesday night’s slate of games with 18 (6G, 12A) so far this season… Gabriel Vilardi leads the NHL in net penalties, having drawn 13 while only taking one… The Kings have had the most powerplay opportunities in the NHL with 74, 10 more than the Washington Capitals… Drew Doughty leads the NHL in time-on-ice per game with 26:36 each contest…
Injury Report
OILERS – Tyler Benson (knee) is on IR; Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is on IR; Mike Smith (undisclosed) is on IR.
KINGS – Jacob Ingham (back) is on IR; Brendan Lemieux (lower-body) is on IR; Alex Iaffallo (lower-body) is on IR.
— Michael Arcuri, EdmontonOilers.com