Edmonton Oilers (33-36-5) (6th, Pacific)

Los Angeles Kings (47-27-7), (3rd, Pacific)

8 PM MT

Rogers Place

TV: CBC

Radio: 630 CHED

SB Nation Opponent: Jewels From The Crown

BREAKDOWN:

Connor McDavid had four points as the Oilers dismantled an AHL club in Ottawa by a 6-2 margin. McDavid had two goals, his second of the game put him at 36 on the year. The Oilers sewed up their roadie at 3-1, they head home to take on the Kings tonight.

At 89 points, the Kings currently sit third in the Pacific Division as they look to distance themselves from Anaheim, who is right alongside them with 89 points of their own. Can the Oilers cause trouble for the Kings?

Let’s go to the tape.

The Oilers are saying

“It’s Connor. He always finds a way to find another gear and that’s what makes him such an exceptional player and so much fun to watch. Out of nowhere he just decided to take the game over”

Source

That’s Oilers forward Drake Caggiula on Connor McDavid’s four point night in Ottawa.

McDavid is six points from 100. He’s got eight games to do it.

The Kings are saying:

“I just felt all night that the puck was kind of following me around. You really want to make the most of it. I got a couple of scoring opportunities and you really want to cash in. I guess it worked out for me tonight.”

Source

That’s Anze Kopitar on his four goal night against the Avalanche. It’s been nearly 25 years since a King had a four goal game. The Kings defeated the Avalanche by a 7-1 score.

Have some of this

• Remember when everyone (myself included) yelled about how much more McDavid had to shoot the puck? He’s got some goals now. He’s a legitimate threat to hit 40 on the season, and he’s got six more points to go until he hits 100 on the year. He trails Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov by just one point, though Tampa has two games in hand.
• TURNING A CORNER? No, not yet. Edmonton’s last two games have been a lot of fun to watch, but they haven’t turned a corner or made some noticeable change. Carolina stinks and Ottawa iced a near-AHL roster last on Thursday. It’s good to see Edmonton beating teams they should beat. Taking down the Kings tonight might swing my opinion half a notch.
• NUMBERS, ETC: The Kings rank 16th in goals scored per game (2.89), they’re second only to Nashville in goals allowed (2.48). They rank 17th overall in power play success (20.1%), they’re first in the league on the PK (84.6).
• Anything on Zack Kassian lately? No? He’s missed the last three games with an ‘undisclosed injury’ which he sustained after getting dumped by Florida forward Michael Haley. It sure looked like a head injury, but the club isn’t saying much about it.
• Expect Cam Talbot to start tonight for the Oilers. (28-27-2, .909 SV%, 2.96 GAA). Jonathan Quick (30-26-2, .922 SV% / 2.41 GAA / 4 SO) is likely for the Kings.
• SICK BAY: Andrej Sekera (foot) and Zack Kassian (undisclosed) are day-to-day. Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) is out for the season. For the Kings, Trevor Lewis is day-to-day.