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Los Angeles Kings @ Edmonton Oilers: Game 2 preview & discussion

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Los Angeles Kings (1-0) @ Edmonton Oilers (0-1)
Wednesday, April 19, 2023 — 7:00 p.m. Pacific
Rogers Place – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

How To Watch
TV: Bally Sports SoCal, ESPN
Radio: iHeartRadio / CHED

Team Stats (Regular Season)
Los Angeles Kings
Power Play %: 25.3% (4th)
Penalty Kill %: 75.8% (24th)
Goals/Game: 3.34 (10th)
Goals Against/Game: 3.10 (16th)

Edmonton Oilers
Power Play %: 32.4% (1st)
Penalty Kill %: 77.0% (20th)
Goals/Game: 3.96 (1st)
Goals Against/Game: 3.12 (17th)

Team Leaders
Los Angeles Kings
Goals: Adrian Kempe (2)
Assists: Anze Kopitar (3)
Points: Anze Kopitar (4)
PIM: Drew Doughty, Mikey Anderson, Blake Lizotte, Alex Iafallo (2)

Edmonton Oilers
Goals: Leon Draisaitl (2)
Assists: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mattias Janmark, Zach Hyman, Evander Kane (1)
Points: Leon Draisaitl (2)
PIM: Evander Kane, Evan Bouchard (4)

The Los Angeles Kings pulled out a stunning victory against Edmonton on Monday, but it took them two periods to find their feet and find their scoring touch. The team knows they can’t be quite so lax, so getting off to a good start will be crucial for Game 2 success.

The Kings are getting some depth help, however, as Gabe Vilardi is set to return to the lineup. He last played on March 26 against St. Louis, missing the final three weeks of the season with an unspecified injury.


Vilardi had the most productive season of his career this year, registering 41 points in 63 games. He seems to have finally found the consistency in his play that will endear him to Todd McLellan and keep him a fixture in the lineup, even if he does get bounced around between lines from time to time.

No word yet on who will come out to make room for Vilardi, although the obvious answer is Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who played a team-low 6:53 in Game 1.

For the Oilers, there are also lineup changes in the works, as Mattias Janmark will not play tonight and is likely done for the series after blocking a shot with his right foot in the first period.


If Edmonton does choose to go 11-7, as indicated by reporter Jason Gregor, that would mean that defenseman Philip Broberg will draw back in. Broberg spent most of the season with the Oilers, where he registered eight points in 46 games. He played one playoff game for Edmonton last year, as well as four for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

POTENTIAL LINEUPS

Los Angeles Kings

Byfield – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Arvidsson
Iafallo – Lizotte – Vilardi
Grundstrom – Kupari – Kaliyev

Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Roy
Edler – Durzi

Korpisalo

Scratches: Fiala (injured), MacEwan (healthy), Anderson-Dolan (healthy), Walker (healthy), Laferriere (just here for the vibes)

Edmonton Oilers

Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman
Kane – Draisaitl – Yamamoto
Foegele – McLeod – Ryan
Kostin – Bjugstad

Nurse – Ceci
Ekholm – Bouchard
Kulak – Desharnais
Broberg

Skinner

Scratches: Janmark (injured), Shore (healthy)

Talking Points