The Edmonton Oilers were able to pick up their second straight win tonight, defeating the LA Kings by a 4-1 final. This game wasn’t the most exciting for fans to watch, as the Oilers produced one of their lowest shot totals of the season, but it was a very positive game for the team. They stuck to their game plan all night and didn’t give the Kings many scoring opportunities.
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This game impacts the standings, as the Vegas Golden Knights have jumped back ahead of the Kings and are now third place in the Pacific Division with 88 points. If the season were to end today, the Oilers would face the Golden Knights in the first round, though it remains to be seen how the final few weeks of the 2023-24 season will play out. With that said, here are the three main takeaways from tonight’s tilt.
Keeping it Simple
The Kings can be a frustrating team to play against, as they pride themselves on not giving their opponents much to work with offensively. They play a 1-3-1 system, which can sometimes force other teams to abandon their structure and take big chances offensively. They often pounce and make their opposition pay when those chances don’t pan out.
That wasn’t the case tonight, however, as the Oilers had no issue whatsoever remaining patient, and were able to capitalize when the opportunities presented themselves. Head coach Kris Knoblauch has to be thrilled with the effort from his group tonight, and if you’re an Oilers fan, you can feel confident if the Oilers do indeed play the Kings in the opening round.
Connor McDavid scored early and Adam Henrique potted a late goal that was a dagger. Evan Bouchard scored on the power play and Cody Ceci sealed in with an empty-netter from 196 feet away.
Skinner Narrowly Misses Shutout
After struggling through February with a 3.54 goals against average (GAA) and a .887 save percentage (SV%) in nine appearances, Stuart Skinner has gotten right back on track in March. He kicked aside 32 of the 33 shots he faced in this one, giving him a .918 SV% in 10 games this month.
The 25-year-old netminder was oh-so-close to his third shutout of the season in this one, as the Kings were unable to solve him through the first 55 minutes of the game. Arthur Kaliyev prevented that from happening, however, beating Skinner’s blocker side on a one-timer from the slot. While it was disappointing to see his shutout bid ended, it was a very solid performance once again from the Oilers starting goaltender.
McDavid with Another Big Night
McDavid snapped a four-game goal drought in this one, but even more importantly, he registered another two assists. Assists have come often to the Oilers captain this season, as he now has 95 of them this season. That puts him just five away from joining Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Bobby Orr as the only players ever to hit 100 assists in a single season.
McDavid also surpassed the 120-point mark in this one, marking the third straight season he has accomplished that feat. He is now just two points shy of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov for the league lead in points, putting him in a great position to capture the sixth Art Ross Trophy of his career.
Looking Ahead for the Oilers
The Oilers have one game remaining this week, which will come on Saturday afternoon versus the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks have struggled this season with a 24-44-4 record, and have lost all three of their outings so far against the Oilers. That said, they do boast some youthful skill in their lineup, meaning the Oilers won’t be able to take them lightly.
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