Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 28th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The Edmonton Oilers have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL over the past five and a half weeks. Now, with the holiday break in the rearview mirror, they'll look to keep it going when they visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Back on Nov. 18, the Oilers were 9-8-2 after a 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. They rebounded the next night with a 5-2 win against the host Ottawa Senators, spurring their current 12-3-0 stretch. Most recently, they've won three in a row, including a 3-1 home victory against the Senators on Sunday.
"I think we're in a good spot," goalie Stuart Skinner said after that contest. "We're finding ways to win games. We don't want to lose two in a row, and we've been doing a pretty good job of that lately. I think the way we've been playing in all ends of the ice has been pretty consistent."
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Edmonton scored 2.63 goals per game and allowed 3.16 goals through the first five weeks of the season. They've done a 180-degree flip, averaging 4.07 goals for while limiting opponents to an average of 2.33 from Nov. 19 and on. Special teams have also improved, with the power play going from 16.3 percent efficiency to 28.2 percent and the penalty kill from a 67.4 percent success rate up to 86.7 percent.
A resurgent Zach Hyman has helped contribute to the Oilers' success. The 32-year-old has seven goals in a six-game goal streak and has 10 of his 13 on the season in nine games since returning from injury Dec. 5.
"When you're feeling good, things are easier, things slow down," he said. "When you're not feeling good, everything seems fast. ... So much of hockey and sports are results-driven. And when you're not getting the results, you know that it's about the process and about getting your looks and getting your chances and being around it."
The Kings, meanwhile, kick off a five-game homestand with Saturday's tilt, hoping to rebound following back-to-back losses in the finale of a seven-game road trip that spanned 13 days. Los Angeles has struggled slightly since posting a sixth straight win against the New York Islanders, dropping four of the six games that followed (2-2-2).
Despite the average results on the trip, the Kings are just one point behind the Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division.
"It's a pretty good trip," coach Jim Hiller said. "We would have liked points out of (a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday), but the trip itself was good. We played some pretty good hockey."
The comforts of home could help fuel the team to get the results it missed out on during its road trip. Los Angeles has been one of the best home teams thus far, going 10-2-1 in 13 games. The Kings have won five straight as the hosts, with their last defeat coming on Nov. 20 against Buffalo.
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Defenseman Mikey Anderson has been stellar for the team on the back end in the absence of Drew Doughty, averaging a career-high 22:43 of ice time, a minute-plus more than his previous high set two seasons ago.
"What an engine and he's really taking a step," Hiller said. "we've talked about that more than once. He's a really important player for us."
Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings Recap JAN 9TH 2023
Kevin Fiala scored twice as part of a four-point game and Adrian Kempe netted two goals and tallied an assist as the host Los Angeles Kings scored four times on the power play en route to a 6-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Viktor Arvidsson collected one goal and one assist, while Alex Iafallo scored once, Drew Doughty collected two assists and goaltender Pheonix Copley made 28 saves for the Kings, who have won three of four games and are on a 9-2-1 roll.
Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan McLeod and Connor McDavid replied for the Oilers, who are in a 1-3-1 skid. Starting goalie Stuart Skinner surrendered three goals on 24 shots before being pulled early in the second period. Jack Campbell stopped 11 shots and was tagged with the loss.
Fiala, coming off Saturday's hat-trick performance against the Vegas Golden Knights, opened the scoring on the power play with a one-timer set up by Kempe at the 9:21 mark of the first period.
Captain Anze Kopitar collected an assist on the goal for his 1,100th career point.
Fiala's second marker of the game, another power-play goal, came just 110 seconds later. After creating a turnover, he gained puck possession, headed to the net and lifted a shot for his 15th goal of the season.
Yamamoto put the visitors on the board late in the opening frame with a deflection tally for his fourth goal of the season, but Kempe scored two more power-play goals.
Fiala sprung Kempe on a breakaway, and Kempe whipped a wrist shot through the five-hole at 3:51 of the second period.
Then, Kempe added the fourth power-play goal to make it 4-1 past the game's midway point. Campbell appeared to make a spectacular glove save, but on video review it was ruled he caught the puck behind the line on Kempe's 17th goal of the season.
It's the first time in Kings history a pair of teammates have scored at least two power-play goals in the same game.
McLeod scored his fourth goal of the season to snap a 22-game goal-scoring drought late in the second period to make it a two-goal game.
However, Iafallo and McDavid traded goals midway through the third period, with McDavid netting his league-best 34th of the season, before Arvidsson rounded out the scoring with an empty-netter.