You have to figure out if you hold the Edmonton Oilers to one goal, you’ve got a shot that is better than average for winning the game. But this is the NHL playoffs, where anything can happen. Edmonton beat the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.
The Kings were dominant in this game. They outshot Edmonton 33-13, but Stuart Skinner stopped all of them for his first career Stanley Cup Playoff shutout. “You have to really make a good play to beat him right now,” Oilers center Mattais Janmark said, “it’s obviously great for us knowing he’s the backbone of our team.”
The difference so far in this series is special teams. Edmonton’s power play is at 53%, eight for 15, and the Kings have yet to score a power play goal. The Oilers penalty kill is at 100%, ten for ten.
Kings Dominate The Game But Can’t Score
The Kings outshot Edmonton 10-4 in the first, but the period ended with no goals. The Oilers didn’t get much possession time in the Kings zone. Stuart Skinner kept the Oilers alive. The Kings had nine chances in the first, but all were turned aside by Skinner.
After the game Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said if they want to go deep into the playoffs they have to learn to win this type of game, “We can’t always dictate how the game is going to go, we’re going to have to win a lot more games like we did tonight. We can’t rely on scoring three, four or five goals, it’s the playoffs so there’s going to be a lot more one nothing, two to one games.”
The four shots for Edmonton in the first tied for the lowest shot total in a period in this series. They struggled to maintain possession after winning 62% of the faceoffs in the first.
Kings Still Strong, But Edmonton Takes the Lead
The Kings dominated all three periods on Sunday night, but they couldn’t put the puck in the net.
The only goal in the game came at 11:49 of the second on the power play. Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard ripped a 98 MPH one-timer past David Rittich. Edmonton was up 1-0. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid got the assists. That was the ninth point by McDavid in the four games. He’s number one in postseason scoring in the NHL.
“I think we’re hitting them with a bunch of different options,” Evan Bouchard said after the game. “I think we’re keeping teams guessing, attacking from on top, the sides and even down low, so we’ve got to keep improvising and keep going.”
Oilers and Kings Still Physical in Game 4
Shots were 20-10 in favor of Los Angeles going into the third. The Oilers have averaged nearly six goals per game in this series before tonight’s game. The King’s defense was impressive, but again, they were down when the period ended.
Both teams continued the physical play after Friday night’s intense third period, but emotions were in control. There was a big hit on Drew Doughty by Evander Kan early in the second. He checked Doughty hard into the boards. Doughty went to the bench in obvious pain, but he did return.
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Bradley Tachco is a career journalist. I spent 12+ years at CNN as a writer and producer. My sports: NHL, MLB, NFL. My goal: unique content. And my teams are the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills (yes, I’m a masochist), and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have been a Dodgers fan since I was old enough to think. I have gone through decades of despair with all three franchises. You can follow Bradley on X @p09691
