EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers will attempt to keep from falling into a 3-0 hole against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Place on Friday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, TVAS2, TNT, truTV, MAX, FDSNW).
Los Angeles leads the best-of-7 series 2-0 and can put the defending Western Conference champions on the brink of elimination with a win. Game 4 is here Sunday.
“It [urgency] has to be at the max,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “We’re down two and we have to get a win.”
Goalie Calvin Pickard will start for Edmonton, replacing Stuart Skinner, who allowed 11 goals on 58 shots through the first two games of the series. Pickard started eight of the last 11 games of the regular season after Skinner sustained a head injury against the Dallas Stars on March 8.
“The amount of work he’s put in," Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said, "and the games he’s stepped up and had huge moments for us, whether it was early in the season or down the stretch, he’s really been in the right spot for our team all year long. We have a lot of confidence playing in front of him and his compete and what he brings to our group.”
Los Angeles is expected to dress a conventional lineup with 12 forwards and six defensemen after dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen in Game 2. Forward Trevor Lewis is expected back in the lineup and defenseman Jacob Moverare will sit out. Goalie Darcy Kuemper will start after making 24 saves in Game 2.
“We’re just not going to try to overthink too much, we liked how we’re playing,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “Our top four defensemen have matched up, the three lines have matched up, so we’re pretty comfortable with that. We’re just not going to race all over the ice trying to chase players around.”
The Kings dominated on special teams through the first two games; Los Angeles is 5-for-10 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Forward Adrian Kempe leads the Kings with seven points (three goals, four assists) through the first two games. Center Anze Kopitar (one goal, four assists) and forward Andrei Kuzmenko (two goals, three assists) each has five points.
McDavid has four points (one goal, three assists) and center Leon Draisaitl has three points (two goals, one assist).
Teams that take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-7 series have an all-time series record of 207-4 (.981), including a 151-3 (.981) mark when starting at home.
Here is a breakdown of Game 3:
Kings: The Kings have not held a 2-0 lead in a best-of-7 series since 2014 Stanley Cup Final, when they defeated the New York Rangers in five games. That also was the last time Los Angeles won a playoff series. Kempe can become the second player in NHL history to have at least three points in each of his first three playoff games, joining Steve Payne of the Minnesota North Stars in 1981. Kuzmenko has given the Kings an offensive boost in his first two playoff games; he had a goal and two assists in his postseason debut in a 6-5 win in Game 1 on Monday and a goal and assist in a 6-2 win in Game 2 on Wednesday. Los Angeles is 2-8 against Edmonton in the playoffs and has not won a series between the teams since 1989.
Oilers: Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said regardless of who is in goal, his team has to do a better job defending in Game 3; he said the Oilers gave up too many high-quality scoring opportunities in Game 2. Edmonton is without injured defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) for the entire series. Defenseman Troy Stecher (undisclosed) took part in the morning skate but is not expected to play in Game 3. Defenseman John Klingberg will play his second game of the series after replacing Josh Brown in Game 2. Forward Jeff Skinner again will be a healthy scratch; he made his playoff debut in Game 1 on Monday after 1,078 regular-season games.
Number to know: 1, the number of times Edmonton has come back from a 2-0 deficit to win a best-of-7 series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Oilers have won the Stanley Cup five times (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990), but the only time they battled back after losing the first two games of a series was in 2006, when they won in six games against the San Jose Sharks in the second round. Edmonton went on to reach the Stanley Cup Final that season, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.
What to look for: How will Pickard perform? The last time he replaced Skinner in the playoffs, the Oilers won 3-2 against the Vancouver Canucks in Game 4 of the second round last season. The Kings will try to keep producing on both sides of special teams.
