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
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'