Kings hope to fare better on road, face Oilers
The Los Angeles Kings will need to start narrowing the gap with the top teams in the Western Conference if they expect to eventually make a playoff run.
The Kings didn't capitalize on their recently completed seven-game homestand, so they'll attempt to turn things around Sunday evening on the road, facing the Oilers in Edmonton.
Los Angeles went 1-4-2 on its homestand, which concluded with a 3-2 loss against the Pacific Division-leading Calgary Flames on Thursday. After facing the second-place Oilers, they hop to Vancouver the following night to take on the last-place Canucks.
The Kings are 3-0-1 in their past four away from home.
Thursday's loss dropped the Kings to 4-5-4 in one-goal games this season. They've been on the losing end of the past four one-goal games.
"It's a tough time right now, because if you're bad, you're really bad. You can go after the group and fix things, but we're so close," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "It's just one small mistake that costs you. We've got to get on the other side of that small mistake."
Edmonton, on the other hand, is 7-2-0 in one-goal games this season, and the Oilers (16-6-0, 32 points) are sitting 10 points ahead of the Kings.
They'll likely carry a sour taste into the opener of their six-game homestand against the Kings. The Oilers lost to the Seattle Kraken 4-3 on Friday, ending a three-game winning streak.
The Kraken are navigating through their season as a first-year expansion team and have recently surged out of the cellar in the Western Conference.
"This was a bit of a disappointing one, we didn't play our best," Oilers defenseman Tyson Barrie said. "We'd like to be better in a lot of areas."
Edmonton coach Dave Tippett pointed to two specific areas.
"Couple too many penalties and too many turnovers," Tippett said. "That would be areas that we could fix."
Edmonton is 9-0-0 when scoring first this season and when leading after the first period.
Oilers' goalie Mikko Koskinen should be well rested when he presumably starts in goal against the Kings. He hasn't played since Wednesday when he made 32 saves in a 5-2 win against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.
Koskinen is 3-0-0 in his past three starts with a 2.33 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. He is 3-1-0 in his career against the Kings with a 3.08 GAA and .909 save percentage.
The Oilers could also be getting some reinforcements back among their defensemen.
Cody Ceci was placed in the NHL's COVID-19 protocol on Tuesday and is a possibility to return.
Darnell Nurse has missed the past six games with a broken finger but also is nearing his window to return.
Slater Koekkoek (lower-body injury) and Duncan Keith (upper-body injury) aren't far from exiting injured reserve, either.
No matter who's in the lineup, Los Angeles defenseman Alex Edler said the Kings will try to keep things simple and stick to their style.
"It's pretty simple," Edler said. "Play aggressive, try to be on them, get our forecheck going to create turnovers."
--Field Level Media
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Police in Paris detain a man wearing fake explosives vest at Iran's Consulate
A man wearing a fake explosive vest and making threats was detained Friday outside the Iranian Consulate in Paris after police locked down the area, authorities said. His motive was unclear.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.