McDavid has 3 points in Oilers win against Kings

EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists for the Edmonton Oilers in a 4-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Place on Thursday.

McDavid has 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) during a six-game multipoint streak.

“We are trying to build something here in this room and just trying to be a part of wins, and that is what we are focused on coming down the stretch,” McDavid said. “It’s always hard against these guys. They are as solid as they come. They’re structured and responsible. They’re good. It’s always difficult.

“It requires a patient game, a mature game. I thought we showed that on all levels.”

Evan Bouchard had a goal and an assist, and Leon Draisaitl had three assists for the Oilers (44-23-4), who have won two in a row. Stuart Skinner made 32 saves.

“Like many times, he’s been the difference in the game, and he played really well,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said of Skinner. “You’re always asking your goaltenders to make key saves at key moments. Tonight [he did that].”

Arthur Kaliyev scored for the Kings (38-23-11), who had their four-game winning streak end. Cam Talbot made 16 saves.

“They scored on their chances, and in the end, I think the chances were pretty close to equal,” Los Angeles interim coach Jim Hiller said. “We didn’t score on ours, and their goalie played well.

“You have to score to be competitive with them.”

The Kings fell one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights, who won 4-1 against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, for third in the Pacific Division. They are also five points behind the Oilers, who are in second.

“I would love to say that it is,” Skinner said of a possible playoff matchup between the two teams. “It’s a great start for us. It’s nice to get this win and have a little more leeway in home-ice advantage.

“But at the same time, these guys play hard every single night and know what they have to do against us. It’s always a great battle playing against them. If we face them it will be very exciting.”

McDavid put the Oilers ahead 1-0 at 5:37 of the first period during a 4-on-4. He knocked down Mattias Ekholm's point shot in front and tucked a backhand past the sprawling glove of Talbot.

Adam Henrique made it 2-0 with 16 seconds left in the second period. Draisaitl circled the net before sending a backhand toward the crease, where it deflected in off Henrique.

“Leon makes a great play and [Henrique] does a great job of just being there inside his check,” McDavid said. “If he’s not there, it doesn’t go in. If 'Leo' doesn’t make the play, it also doesn’t go in. They were equally deserving.”

Bouchard pushed it to 3-0 with a power-play goal at 5:05 of the third period. McDavid faked going one way behind the net before stopping and passing to Bouchard for a one-timer from the right circle.

“Yeah, that [stunk]. It was a bad bounce for us, but it didn’t change anything. We were still down and no matter what we had to get the next goal," Kings forward Kevin Fiala said. "We didn’t get it tonight, but hopefully we’ll get it in the next one. They did a good job stepping up on us. There was not much room."

Kaliyev cut it to 3-1 following a turnover by Ekholm at 13:47. Quinton Byfield got the puck along the end boards and passed to Kaliyev for a one-timer from the right hash marks.

It was his first goal since Dec. 5 (28 games).

“Everyone is happy for 'Arty.' It’s been a tough go for him, for sure,” Hiller said. “He’s had chances. He hasn’t played a lot, but at times he’s had chances. ... He hasn’t scored, so it was nice to see he was able to find the back of the net. Maybe that will help him a little bit with his confidence going forward.”

Cody Ceci scored into an empty net with 41 seconds left for the 4-1 final.

NOTES: Oilers forward Zach Hyman had his goal streak end at four games (five goals). ... Draisaitl had his goal streak end at five games but extended his point streak to six games (five goals, five assists). ... Kings forward Anze Kopitar had his multipoint streak end at four games (four goals, five assists). ... Oilers forward Corey Perry played in his 1,300th NHL game.