Oilers v. Kings - 1 Chronicles 14:8-10

When the Sabres heard that Edmonton had been anointed masters of tanking, they resolved to strengthen their position at the bottom of the standings. MacTavish saw this ploy and scoffed, but the Sabres went on to lose fifteen of seventeen games in order to guarantee themselves their position as the worst team of the last decade. So MacTavish came to God and said, "The Sabres are too bad, even for us. Will you at least give the lottery into our hands to ease our suffering?" God replied, "Yes. Do not worry. I will deliver the lottery into your hands."

Los Angeles Kings @ Edmonton Oilers

Rexall Place, 7:30 p.m. MST
Television: TSN

The Race to the Bottom (It's Happening Again):

Visiting Team Scouting Report: The Los Angeles Kings are on their way to the playoffs, and will play in what should be one of the best series of the first round against San Jose. Both teams are excellent at controlling the flow of play, with L.A. currently first and San Jose currently fourth in Fenwick percentage with the score tied. The Kings have had better goaltending this season, but the Sharks have been better on special teams. Of the sixteen teams to get in, both are probably among the top six in the league. It's a very tough match-up for the first round, but it should be very exciting to watch.

Expected Lineups:

Edmonton Oilers (28-43-9):

Hall - Nugent-Hopkins - Eberle
Smyth - Gagner - Perron
Pitlick - Lander - Pinizzotto
Hendricks - Acton - Larsen

Marincin - Petry
Klefbom - Schultz
Fraser - Belov

Fasth

Los Angeles Kings (45-28-7):

Gaborik - Kopitar - Williams
King - Carter - Toffoli
Pearson - Stoll - Brown
Clifford - Richards - Lewis

Regehr - Doughty
Muzzin - Voynov
Martinez - Mitchell

Quick

By The Numbers:

• The Oilers have a number of players auditioning for roles on next year's team, one of which is Steve Pinizzotto. So far, he's probably stood out most because of his fight against Matt Beleskey. He won that one for sure, and fighting is a regular part of his game (he had seven fights in the AHL). He doesn't take on the super-heavies though, so that probably means he'll need to beat out a non-Gazdic player to earn a roster spot, which doesn't seem likely.
  
• Mike Richards is listed on the fourth line, but that's a bit of a misnomer. With only four points (all goals) in his last twenty games, the offense has dried up, but he hasn't played less than 13:36 in any of those twenty contests.
• Another player auditioning for a spot with next year's Oilers is Anton Lander. He has put up some offense in the AHL this season, and has looked better than he ever has previously in the NHL, but the results just aren't coming for him. His most recent call-up has now lasted thirteen games, and Lander has just nine shots and one assist, while getting more than thirteen minutes of ice time in every game. The Oilers may well move on.