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Preview: Kings hit the road, look to stop Connor McDavid

Posted on by Sarah Avampato

How to Watch

Game Time: 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time

TV: Fox Sports West

Radio: iHeart Radio

The Opposition: Copper and Blue

What to Watch

  • After a loss to the Senators (yes, them), the Oilers dropped down to second in the Pacific Division, ceding the top spot to the Arizona Coyotes (yes, them). Since the Kings and Oilers last met, the Oilers are 3-3-0, with losses to Ottawa, Vancouver, and Colorado. It’s been a somewhat shaky time for the Oilers, who are either seeing cracks in the foundation of the team’s success, or who just had a rough patch and need a lackluster opponent to help them out. Enter, the Los Angeles Kings.
  • Edmonton, explain??! /

  • If you combine the points of James Neal, Zack Kassian, and Oscar Klefbom, you only barely have more points than a McDavid or Draisaitl. This is completely wild.
  • McDavid has five points in his last five games, which might as well be a scoring slump for him. He was held off the scoresheet in two games, both losses for the Oilers. Of the seven games so far this season in which McDavid did not record a point, the Oilers lost five of them.
  • The Kings, meanwhile, need to figure out their road game, and stat. The Oilers and Flames aren’t going to make it easy, but this is what we’ve got to work with. The team has consistently come out flat on road starts (well, and on home starts) and only turn up the heat once they’re already down a few goals. That needs to change, as if you give McDavid and Draisaitl an inch, they’ll take a mile, and if there’s a team you don’t want to allow to jump out to a lead, it’s definitely the Oilers. They are 10-0-1 when leading after the second period. /

Lineups

Los Angeles Kings

Iafallo — Kopitar — Brown
Carter — Amadio — Toffoli
Kempe — Lizotte — Wagner
Clifford — Prokhorkin — Lewis

Ryan — Doughty
MacDermid — Walker
Hutton — Roy

Quick

Edmonton Oilers

Talking Points