Edmonton Oilers (1-0-0) vs
Los Angeles Kings (0-0-0)
05 October 2019
Rogers Place
8 PM MST
TV: Sportsnet Oilers, Sportsnet West, Sportsnet East, CityTV
Radio: 630 CHED
SB Nation Opponent: Jewels From The Crown
GOING FOR TWO
The Oilers emerged the victors in Wednesday’s 3-2 matchup against the Canucks. Leon Draisaitl, Zack Kassian and Connor McDavid each had one for the Oilers, while Mike Smith stood tall in his Edmonton debut. Adam Larsson is lost to a fibula injury, can the Oilers make it two in a row in his absence?
Lets go to the tape.
“It’s tough to see Larsson go down. He’s a horse back there and logs a lot of minutes. What people don’t see is a lot in the dressing room. He’s a great guy and brings a lot of passion to the dressing room, and he’s a leader for us back there”
That’s Oilers defenceman Matt Benning on the loss of Adam Larsson.
Larsson blocked a shot in the first period, breaking his fibula near the foot. He’s out for a projected 6-8 weeks, which makes havoc on Edmonton’s blue line. How will the Oilers counter the loss?
The Kings are saying
“No new concepts...Pace, a little grinding. Well, a lot of grinding. The numbers obviously went down, so the tempo got going a little quicker. Fewer breaks, less rest time, and a bit of a test to see how we would respond after having an off-day on the weekend, and they passed”
That’s Kings head coach Todd McLellan on his team’s work-up to today’s game.
The Kings will look to improve on their 2018-19 finish that saw them garner only 71 points in the standings.
HAVE SOME OF THIS
#Oilers:
— Reid Wilkins (@ReidWilkins) October 5, 2019
Draisaitl-McDavid-Kassian
Nygard-RNH-Neal
Khaira-Cave-Russell
Granlund-Haas-Jurco
Klefbom-Persson
Nurse-Bear
Russell-Benning
Archibald and Chiasson not on the ice. Sheahan is back on the ice.
- REUNITED: After one game apart, the 97-29 show is back on. Not sure what’s in store for RNH on line 2. The bottom six is trouble again.
- You will recall Todd McLellan. The former Oilers coach will make his Kings debut tonight. McLellan was relieved from his duties with the Oilers after three years and some change. In 2017, McLellan was the first coach behind the bench for an Oilers playoff game since 2006.
- Joel Persson is set to make his NHL debut tonight. The 26-year old rearguard from Sweden was a frontrunner to make the 23-man roster out of camp before being set back with a shoulder injury. He’s being set on a pair with Darnell Nurse, while Ethan Bear and Oscar Klefbom are expected to run together. Kris Russell and Matt Benning will likely form the third pair.
- Mike Smith (1-0-0, .939 SV% / 2.00 GAA) is expected to start for the Oilers in net. Look for Jonathan Quick (season debut) to run for the LA Kings. That Koskinen signing is looking worse by the hour.
- SICK BAY: The Oilers will be without Adam Larsson (foot) for some time. Riley Sheahan (concussion) is out as well. Alex Chiasson and Josh Archibald are out with the flu. For the Kings, defenceman Derek Forbort (back) is day-to-day.