Comments / New

Kings @ Oilers Recap: LA Overpowers Edmonton for 7th Straight Win

Finally, we got our much-anticipated matchup between Jonathan Quick and Ben Scrivens! With both goaltenders in excellent form, though, the game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers was decided by fortunate bounces and offensive opportunities. The Kings got more of both, and as a result, they got their seventh straight win.

[Box Score]

Scrivens stopped 46 shots on Sunday night, but he couldn’t prevent the first shot of the game from going in. In fairness to Scrivens, it wasn’t much of a shot. After Tyler Toffoli helped force an Oilers turnover in their own zone, Jeff Carter carried the puck and tried to make a pass to Toffoli in front. The pass never made it through; instead, it banked off of Philip Larsen‘s skate and past a helpless Scrivens. The Oilers could have wilted after that goal, but they kept up the pace of the game and eventually found a tying goal. David Perron made a neat spin pass to Taylor Hall, who deked Jonathan Quick and slid the puck five-hole. The Kings outshot the Oilers 12-5 and had a few additional chances in the first, but Carter hit the near-side post on the Kings’ best opportunity to take the lead back.

An LA power play to end the first and start the second was unsuccessful, but LA kept up the pressure. They would rack up 21 shots in the second, and though the Oilers managed to get some looks in their own, one of their better stretches of play was interrupted by Alec Martinez. The sudden goalscoring threat got his third goal in four games, beating a screened Scrivens with a wrist shot. A minute later, the Kings went on a powerplay, and another fluky goal for Carter sunk the Oilers’ spirits. Anze Kopitar fired a shot from the top of the circle, and after Scrivens made the stop, the puck banked in off the back of Jeff Carter’s leg and in. Carter was facing away from the goal at the time, but he’ll be more than happy to claim his 24th goal of the season.

Things went from good to great when Trevor Lewis scored. TREVOR LEWIS SCORED. He earned this one, too; Jeff Carter freed himself up in the corner and delivered a pass to the middle, which Lewis tipped past Scrivens for his third goal of the season. Since those first two both came in one evening, this is only the second game of the season to feature a Lewis goal. We saw history, folks.

Meanwhile, the disgruntled Oilers could only hit the crossbar via Justin Schultz, but they succeeded on baiting the Kings into taking penalties and got themselves back in the game early in the third. Jordan Nolan‘s double-minor for roughing (which, let’s be honest, was a sucker punch) didn’t result in a power play goal, but Mike Richards‘ slashing penalty two minutes later did. The Oilers moved the puck well on a 4-on-3 (hooray for them!) and kept the pressure on even when it returned to 4-on-4, and Sam Gagner’s attempted pass to Ryan Smyth went off of Drew Doughty and past Quick. If the puck had gotten to Smyth, it would have gone in anyway… though I guess we never know with Ryan Smyth.

Either way, the game was 4-2, but Jonathan Quick and the Kings killed off another Edmonton power play and then got the next six shots on goal. The Oilers never really had a shot after that, and the Kings made it seventh straight. The only downside for LA: it looks like Nolan will get a hearing for his (gloved) punch on Jesse Joensuu . Then again, if he is suspended, the team might just keep on rolling along.

Talking Points