PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Kings

The Edmonton Oilers will host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night in a pivotal Pacific Division battle at Rogers Place.

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PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Kings

EDMONTON, AB – Bring on the Kings.

After coming back to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers will host the Los Angeles Kings in a one-off home matchup at Rogers Place on Monday before hitting the road again for three games against Minnesota, Colorado and Vancouver.

Zach Hyman scored the winner in the Windy City last time out on Edmonton’s only power play of the game in the third period after his team fought back from a two-goal deficit during the middle frame with goals from Vasily Podkolzin, Adam Henrique and Corey Perry.

Including Saturday’s clutch goal, nine of Hyman’s 14 goals this season have either tied the game for the Oilers or given them the lead, as the winger continues his hot stretch over the last 27 games with 14 goals and 10 assists after being held to just one helper over his first 10 games in 2024-25.

Since starting the season 11-for-60 (18.3 percent) with the man advantage, Edmonton’s power play has performed to the tune of a league-best 35.4 percent (17-for-48) since Nov. 29. Their top-ranked penalty kill since Nov. 20 at 89.3 percent (50-for-56) also needed to come up with the crucial late kill with Henrique in the box for high-sticking in the final minute.

Goaltender Calvin Pickard shut the door to finish with 19 saves on 22 shots and improved to 6-1-0 over his last seven starts, claiming victory to reach double-digit wins for the third time in his career.

Leon Draisaitl assisted on Hyman’s game-winning effort to give him points in 16 of his last 17 games, with the German sitting first in the NHL for goals (31) and second in points (63).

Monday’s match against the Kings will come on captain Connor McDavid’s 28^th birthday, and only two players in NHL history (Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux) have recorded more than 1,040 points before turning 28 years old.

The Oilers captain has two goals and four assists on games that fall on his birthday, with last year’s celebrations coming after they won their 10^th straight game on Jan. 13 against the Montreal Canadiens as part of their franchise-best 16-game win streak.

The Oilers concluded their four-game road trip this past week with a 3-1-0 record and will begin a tricky run of games on Monday against opposition currently occupying playoff spots, starting with an important Pacific Division battle against the Kings at Rogers Place.

Edmonton reclaimed second place in the Pacific from Los Angeles by virtue of Saturday’s win over the Blackhawks but will need at least a point to avoid relinquishing the position back to their division rivals, who are 24-11-5 this season with two fewer games played.

The Kings and Oilers have been the top-two teams in the League over the last six-and-a-half weeks based on win percentage, with LA edging the Oilers out by only three hundredths (.777 vs. .775) while playing two fewer games since Nov. 27.

The Kings took the first meeting back on Dec. 28 at Crypto.com Arena with a 4-3 overtime victory after forward Quinton Byfield scored 3:19 into extra time. Byfield had two goals and an assist and is riding a five-game point streak against the Oilers, totalling four goals and five assists.

Despite LA's last victory over Edmonton, the Oilers have won the last three matchups at Rogers Place.

The Kings' 3-11-1 record in Oil Country since 2016-17 represents their worst record away from home over that span, which doesn’t include their 1-6-2 record at Rogers Place over three consecutive meetings in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Since replacing Todd McLellan behind the bench with Jim Hiller last season and abandoning the 1-3-1 trap, the offence has gone up for the Kings while their defending has remained consistent at the levels they performed with before the coaching change.

The Kings had the top combined save percentage during the month of January (.962) and are allowing the fewest goals against per game (2.45) and shots against per game (24.8), but the Oilers represent a tough challenge with the highest average shots per game (32.3), with the Blue & Orange recording four straight games with 31 shots or more.

Goaltender Stuart Skinner is expected to be back between the pipes for the Oilers on Monday and has won each of his last eight starts when losing his previous game, posting a 1.75 GAA and .938 save percentage in those contests.