Oilers at Kings
The playoff-bound Los Angeles Kings look to snap a puzzling three-game losing streak and gain a stronger hold on first place in the Pacific Division when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. The Kings were outscored 11-4 on their 0-3-0 road trip after clinching a postseason berth and were fortunate second-place Anaheim did not take advantage.
“There were games where we could have separated ourselves a little bit and we got to get going,” Kings forward Jeff Carter told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re running out of games. You can’t get to the playoffs and flip a switch. We’ve got a lot of work to do here in the next couple weeks.” The Kings have won four straight and six of seven against the Oilers, who are coming off a 6-3 victory at San Jose on Thursday. Taylor Hall reached 60 points for the second time in his career with a pair of goals and Cam Talbot reached the 20-win plateau for the second straight season. Despite winning three of their last five, the Oilers are only two points ahead of NHL-worst Toronto and have a league-low five games remaining.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CBC, FSN West (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE OILERS (30-40-7): Rookie phenom Connor McDavid has collected eight assists during his six-game streak and Jordan Eberle has tallied in three of his last four contests. Patrick Maroon recorded three points in the win at San Jose and has accumulated nine in 11 games since being acquired from Anaheim at the trade deadline. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sat out the last contest with what coach Todd McClellan termed a “minor concussion” and his status is uncertain for the meeting with the Kings.
ABOUT THE KINGS (44-25-5): Los Angeles finishes the regular season with five of its last eight games at home, where it is 23-11-2 and has not lost three in a row since opening the season 0-3-0. Anze Kopitar, who entered Friday’s action tied for the league lead with a plus-30 rating, has posted seven goals and nine assists in his last 13 games and leads the team with 68 points. However, Carter has gone eight games without a goal while Milan Lucic has not registered a point in his last four contests.
OVERTIME
1. Kings G Jonathan Quick has allowed eight goals on 68 shots over his last three games but is 18-1-5 lifetime against the Oilers.
2. Hall and C Mark Letestu, who has notched six points in his last five contests, are the only two Oilers to have played in all 77 games this season.
3. Los Angeles C Vincent Lecavalier was held out of the 4-1 loss at Winnipeg on Thursday, but coach Darryl Sutter told reporters it was not a serious issue.