To run a proper autopsy on this pale carcass of a hockey game, it’s only fair to determine which of the Kings’ goals were Ben Scrivens’ fault and which of the goals were the defence’s fault.
Scrivens certainly let in a couple bad ones. It was ‘skittish Scrivens’ this night. But with this being the first game after trading Jeff Petry away for nothing, it’s hard to not look at the young bucks left behind to see what we’re really working with.
It looked like this:
First Kings goal: Scrivens is completely screened by Jordan Oesterle who is standing around wondering what he should be doing. Fault: Defence
Second Kings goal: Kopitar and Lewis come in on a two-on-one that completely turns Oscar Klefblom around. By the time Kopitar passes, Klefbom has his back turned to him and is just trying to keep up. Fault: Defence
Third Kings goal: Jeff Carter streaks in shorthanded and passes it to Toffoli as he guns it for the net. Toffoli passes it a bit far ahead and Carter lunges at it and pokes it forward with one hand and it goes through Scrivens. This one was ugly. I think the defense might have been caught on a change but, at any rate, that shot was weak. Fault: Scrivens
Fourth Kings goal: There’s a bit of a trainwreck in front of Scrivens who stops two shots and then Matt Hendricks falls on his leg as Kyle Clifford pops in the rebound. Fault: Defence
Fifth Kings goal: Almost right off the faceoff, Anze Kopitar walks in across the blueline and wrists the puck. Scrivens gets a piece of it off his glove but it goes in. Scrivens needs to get his body in front of those. Fault: Scrivens.
Final tally: Defence are slightly more at fault than Ben Scrivens 3 - 2.
The LA Kings did not look particularly troubled in this win over Edmonton.
Not much was seen from our first line, but I think the Kings did a great job keeping them tied up. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had some great moments. In particular, on one penalty kill he single handedly killed 20 seconds or more by himself with some fancy hands along the boards in the Kings’ end.
The best player on the ice for the Oilers was Derek Roy. The Oilers didn’t have a lot of chances, but when they did it was after Derek Roy winning a battle.
Jordan Oesterle got his first NHL point with an assist - a slap shot that Gazdic(!) batted out of the air for the tip-in. Oesterle unfortunately got caught standing around in the first but had some impressive moments later in the game, including his first NHL assist.
Highlights
First period
11:00 KINGS GOAL Matt Greene assisted by Anze Kopitar. Kopitar kicks it back along the boards to Greene who slaps it in. Ben Scrivens looks completely screened by Jordan Oesterle. 1 - 0 Kings
00:59 KINGS GOAL Trevor Lewis assisted by Anzy Kopitar. Two-on-one. Kopitar looks like he has all the time in the world and waits until he can feed a pass over to Lewis and in. Klefbom looks lost. 2 - 0 Kings
00:30 Glass gets broken and they end the period 30 seconds early and tack the time onto the beginning of the second period.
Shots Kings 14 - Oilers 4
Second period
Just kidding! First period continued! Start after intermission with 30 seconds left of first period. Nothing really happens.
Second Period
19:24 KINGS PENALTY Jonathan Quick tripping drawn by Derek Roy, served by Dwight King. After some good pressure by Oilers, Roy comes around the net and Quick trips him.
17:50 Justin Schultz blocks a shot by Tyler Toffoli, staggers back to bench. Later returns to game.
17:42 KINGS SHORTHANDED GOAL Jeff Carter races in and backhands it to Tyler Toffoli. Toffoli puts it back up and Carter lunges in and one-hand pokes puck forward and it goes in under Scrivens. The Sportsnet guys feel Scrivens had no chance. I feel like he should have had it. 3-0 Kings
13:31 KINGS PENALTY Jarret Stoll slashing drawn by Jordan Oesterle. LA gets more chances than the Oilers on their own power play.
11:14 OILERS PENALTY Matt Hendricks slashing drawn by Justin Williams
6:42 OILERS GOAL Luke Gazdic assisted by Jordan Oesterle. Oesterle slaps it from the blue line, Gazdic bats it down out of the air for the tip. 3 - 1 Kings
3:01 KINGS GOAL Kyle Clifford picks up rebound. 4 - 1 Kings
Shots Kings 8 - Oilers 11
Third period
19:34 KINGS GOAL Anze Kopitar Pretty soon off the face off, he skates in, shoots, and it goes off Scrivens’ glove and in. 5 - 1 Kings
15:49 KINGS PENALTY Dwight King tripping drawn by Andrew Ference
14:24 OILERS GOAL Teddy Purcell. After a slap by Justin Schultz into the boards, Benoit Pouliot screens Quick as the puck bounces back out and Purcell pops it in from the slot. 5 - 2 Kings
11:08 OILERS PENALTY Benoit Pouliot hooking drawn by Robyn Regehr
6:42 OILERS PENALTY Ryan Hamilton tripping drawn by Justin Williams
2:45 Oilers have possession of the puck but are completely unable to get out of their own end for what feels like forever. Keep getting turned back by the Kings.
00:31 KINGS PENALTY Trevor Lewis tripping drawn by Derek Roy
Shot Kings 7 - Oilers 8
Total shots Kings 29 - Oilers 23
"I'll put it to you this way. It's going to be a good teaching video session." Todd Nelson after #Oilers revert to old ways in 5-2 loss.
— Joanne Ireland (@jirelandEJ) March 4, 2015
"I'd trade that in for a win right now." @j_oest15 on recording his first @NHL point tonight vs. LA | VIDEO > http://t.co/tuaEvQXruX
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 4, 2015
Up next…
The Oilers fly out to Chicago to face the Blackhawks on Friday, March 6.