Game Preview: Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings | 12/30/23

The Edmonton Oilers really did want revenge for their first meeting against San Jose. As I mentioned in my last article, losing to the Sharks in November, when the Oilers were at their absolute lowest low, was the game that forced management to make a coaching change. As you saw on Thursday night, it was not that same team from November. They could only come up with two goals on 41 shots back then, but came out on top in this one 5-0 with the shot margin being closer: 30-25 exactly. Hockey is a funny sport that way. Ryan McLeod has now scored four goals on four shots since being promoted to the second line and also added an assist on the night. His chemistry with Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele has been magnificent: three straight multi-point games after a tough start to the season. Since that first goal of the game, the whole team never looked back. Stuart Skinner recorded his first shutout of the season, and even against a team like San Jose, he had to make some big stops. It was a far-from-ideal first NHL start for San Jose’s Magnus Chrona. Getting pulled after a first period where his team went down 4-0. He’s not to blame for the goals against; it was just a mercy pull for the 23-year-old. He was not the latest backup/youngster to give the Oilers and their fans nightmares.

It was reported before the game that Dylan Holloway made the trip to California but would not play against any of the California teams. This leads us to believe that he is pretty close to coming back from his injury that he got in Kris Knoblauch’s second game as Oilers head coach. His play was also improving before that injury happened. He was picked 14th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. Players taken that high are often top-six forwards, but Holloway has been stapled to the bottom six during his still brief time in Edmonton. Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the team’s offense. And keep in mind that we still actually need Holloway physically back in the lineup before we can talk more about him. But I’m going to have some fun here and pretend I’m the bench boss. When Holloway comes back, these are the forward lines I would like to see.

1st – 55/97/18, 2nd – 71/29/37, 3rd – 91/93/28, 10/89/57, Extras: Mattias Janmark and Adam Erne.

I personally would put Holloway with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman while having Ryan Nugent-Hopkins center the third line. A lot of Oilers fans might disagree with my take, and that’s fine. I know RNH has been great on the top line. But between the top two lines, that’s a lot of eggs being put in one basket. Ever since McDavid first put on an Oilers jersey, I’ve dreamed of watching a three-headed monster at center for the top 9 on a nightly basis. At one point last season, Nugent-Hopkins was centering Mattias Janmark and Klim Kostin; they all had decent chemistry together. He is perfectly capable of producing on the third line. Only this time, he could have better wingers. Evander Kane has been on and off, but still on pace for 59 points and can help balance the offense there. While Connor Brown keeps trying to get his game going, you can still give him two good forwards to work with. Nuge can still be on the top powerplay unit; just make it harder for your opponents to shut down your offense. The fourth line has looked great when Sam Gagner has been there. We should see it spark again when he comes back from his injury. McLeod, Drasaitl, and Foegele, as mentioned earlier, look great together right now; keep it as is. Holloway needs real, legitimate chances to make a name for himself. At least try this idea for a week or so and see how it goes. If he does well, management won’t have to spend assets on a forward, and they can instead offer them up for a decent 1B goaltender.

Sportsnet’s Gene Principe paid tribute to Sheila MacDonald’s passing just before the third period on Thursday night. She worked in the box office at Northlands Colosseum/Rexall Place during the early 80s and then served as director of Oilers Ticket Operations. She was married to Oilers Entertainment Group Director Stew MacDonald. We send our condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time. The keys to the game are…

PK Wall: Last week, before the holiday break, the Oilers were playing against teams who were tied for the top powerplay percentage in the league. Tonight, they play against a team with the top penalty-kill percentage in the league. All of the 16 goals scored by Edmonton in their three straight wins were at even strength, so I won’t worry too much about their PP not producing lately. But should the Kings get into penalty trouble, the Oilers need to do a better job of getting good scoring chances on net with the man advantage. Don’t just spend the entire PP passing the puck around.

Quin(ton)essential: Quinton Byfield was picked 2nd overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 21-year-old forward is really breaking out in his third NHL season, with 25 points in 32 games so far. He was also pretty productive against the Oilers in Round 1 of last year’s Playoffs with four points in those six games. However, I am a bit surprised that a player who is 6’5″ and weighs 220lbs only has ten hits so far this season. The need to be more physically engaged will surely come to him as he gets older. But until then, life is pretty nice when you have Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe as your linemates.

Cam, Cam, He’s Their Man: Former Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot has been a major part of L.A.’s success so far this season. He has gone 14-7-2 in the 22 games he has started, posting a .924 save percentage and a 2.11 Goals Against Average. Edmonton isn’t facing a first-timer like they did in San Jose. Seeing as how I also brought up LA’s PK, the Oilers will have their work cut out for them in the scoring department.