Oilers must 'look at ourselves in the mirror,' improve defense in Game 3

LOS ANGELES -- The Edmonton Oilers admit a comeback will be difficult in the Western Conference First Round against the Los Angeles Kings if they continue to give up high-quality scoring opportunities.

“No team in this league can give up the amount of Grade As and high-danger chances that we’ve been giving up,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said following a 6-2 loss in Game 2 on Wednesday that boosted the Kings to a 2-0 series lead heading into Game 3 at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Friday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, TVAS2, TNT, truTV, MAX, FDSNW). “We’ve been hanging our goalie out to dry on quite a few occasions, and he’s actually made some huge stops in a timely manner too. We have to be better all around.

“In this group, we all look at ourselves in the mirror and we have to be better in front of him, simple as that.”

The Oilers' latest defeat followed a 6-5 loss in Game on Monday.

Despite not pinning the series deficit on goalie Stuart Skinner, Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said he is contemplating starting Calvin Pickard in Game 3.

“We knew throughout the playoffs if we’re fortunate enough to play through June that most likely we’re going to have to make a switch at some time, but we haven’t made a decision as of now,” Knoblauch said Thursday before the Oilers departed for Edmonton. “It’s unfortunate for Skinner, because he’s in a difficult situation. The amount of chances (shots) were low, but the quality of chances were high. That’s not easy for the goaltender.

"You’re going to have some of those once in a while, but it was just too many. So it’s just unfortunate for him and that’s something we’re going to have to decide.”

Regardless of who starts in goal, Edmonton has to be better defensively Friday to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole. The majority of goals by Los Angeles in Game 2 were uncontested shots from high-danger areas.

“I think lots of the goals are coming from pucks in tight, in front of the net or passes coming through the crease,” Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak said. “I think that part of the ice needs to be protected better.”

Los Angeles is feasting on the quality looks it saw through the first two games of the series and Edmton has been lacking when protecting the front of the net, closing down passing lanes and contesting shots.

The Kings have scored 12 goals in the two games, are 5-for-10 on the power play, and capitalizing on Oilers turnovers.

“They seem to be just keeping it simple,” Kulak said. “They’re getting shots to the net and the areas around the net, they got another rebound (goal) last night. They’re passing pucks through the seam, making nice plays. For the most part, they have a simple recipe and it’s getting pucks to the net.”

Last season, the Oilers took pride their defensive play, which helped them reach Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. This season, Edmonton is missing defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who was ruled out of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with an undisclosed injury. Defenseman Troy Stecher is also out with an undisclosed injury.

“He’s kind of an irreplaceable guy in any circumstance,” Kulak said of Ekholm. “He’s a top 'D' in the League and we’re lucky to have him on the team. When you’re missing him, it’s a huge piece, but we have lots of other good players, too, that can step up. I think every guy on the back end can each say they are kind of underperforming, and we all need to step up and be better for the team.”

Ekholm helped Edmonton settle things in its own end, was adept at breaking up the cycle in the corner, won battles in front of the net, and usually made the right decision with the puck.

Without him, the Oilers have been caught scrambling in their own end too often through Games 1 and 2. They are also not protecting the puck as well as they did in the previous three series wins against the Kings, leading to defensive-zone turnovers.

“I think it always comes back to us and doing a better job of us not forcing things,” Kulak said. “I think we’re turning over too many pucks right now and that swings momentum in a game. If it doesn’t lead to a goal right away, it kind of gives them momentum and lets them play in the O-zone and it makes life easy on them.

"I think if we simplify things a little more, and get back to putting pucks in and getting pucks back on the forecheck and (we can) just start slowly building momentum from that.”

Edmonton is a puck-possession team and not accustomed to chipping pucks in or out of the zones. Too often in this series, however, it has been caught making ill-advised passes in its own zone.

“We spend very little time on our defensive-zone coverage,” Knoblauch said. “You think of your system and coverage when they have the puck, but it plays just off of our breakouts, whether we turn off (mentally) and make a bad pass. There’s been several of those in Game 1 and Game 2, so it’s not necessarily the coverage, it’s recovering after a change of possession, where we’re getting on the wrong side and have been unable to protect the dangerous ice. That’s the most important thing.”