(3P) Kings at (2P) Oilers
Western Conference First Round, Game 5
10 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, SN1, ESPN, BSW
Edmonton leads best-of-7 series 3-1
EDMONTON -- The Los Angeles Kings are looking to stave off elimination against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round on Wednesday.
The Kings want to replicate their effort from Game 4 in Los Angeles on Sunday, where they outshot the Oilers 33-13 in a 1-0 loss.
“I thought last game was a good game from everyone, guys were battling doing the right things, doing what we thought we needed to do,” Los Angeles defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “Obviously, we don’t want the same result, but I think we were proud of the effort and that’s something we want to try and emulate tonight.”
Goalie Stuart Skinner earned his first playoff shutout in the win for Edmonton, which is looking to end the series and not return to Los Angeles for Game 6, if necessary, on Friday.
“It's a great opportunity on home ice to close out the series,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “You never want to give a team life, you never want to give them an opportunity to get themselves going again. It’s a big game for us.”
Here are 3 keys for Game 5:
1. First goal
The team who scores first has won every game of the series so far, and in an elimination game, the opening goal is magnified.
Edmonton raced to a 4-0 lead in Game 1 on the way to a 7-4 win, and took a 3-0 lead in an eventual 6-1 victory in Game 3. Los Angeles held a 2-0 advantage in its 5-4 overtime triumph in Game 2.
Oilers forward Zach Hyman said continuing that trend is paramount.
“Yeah, especially against a team like L.A. that likes to play with the lead," he said, "and it’s hard to generate offense against them when they have the lead. The first goal is always important.”
Los Angeles plays a tight-checking, defensive system predicated on clogging up the neutral zone and making it difficult for Edmonton to gain the zone with possession of the puck.
The system is effective in a close game or with the lead, but if they fall behind, the Kings will be forced to chase the game and get away from their style of play.
“You want to get off on the right foot, especially for us in this building,” Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty said. “Getting the first goal, you might take the crowd a little bit out of it and things like that, so the first goal is always important.”
2. Lopsided special teams
The Kings have not scored a power-play goal in the series and are struggling to kill penalties, which is not a good combination.
Los Angeles is 0-for-11 on the power play through the first four games; Edmonton is 8-for-15 (53.3 percent). The Kings have scored 10 even-strength goals, the Oilers nine (and one into an empty net).
The power play was the difference in Game 4; Edmonton scored on its lone man advantage in a 1-0 win and Los Angeles failed to convert on its one opportunity.
“We’re aware of all the things they do," Doughty said. "They just have some really good players that come up with something different in the middle of their power play and it’s hard to adjust to those things.
“You have to be smarter, be in shooting lanes and rely on your goalie to make simpler saves. A lot of the power-play goals they scored, our goalies had no chance on them, to be honest. We need to take away those passing lanes, those backdoor tap-ins, and let the goalie make the save.”
The Oilers' power play ranked fourth during the regular season at 26.3 percent. Los Angeles had the second-best penalty kill at 84.6 percent, but it's getting pulled apart so far in the playoffs.
“We've got good players out there that are playing well and in sync and working for pucks back," McDavid said, "and I think that’s the biggest things for our power play. We’re working hard, we get pucks back and keeping second and third pucks alive, and if you give our power play a chance and time to be in zone, eventually we’re going to break a penalty kill down.”
3. Rittich gets the call again
David Rittich did not have a lot to do in Game 4, but did enough to warrant a second straight start for the Kings.
The only goal Rittich allowed on 13 shots in Game 4 was scored on the power play by defenseman Evan Bouchard on a one-timer from the point at 11:49 of the second period. It was the only goal in Edmonton's 1-0 win.
“He didn’t have a lot of work, but when he was counted upon he made the save, with the exception of the power-play goal,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “It’s not easy to do to come in from the bullpen like that. He’s done that all year for us and he gave us the game we needed, we just needed to solve [Stuart] Skinner that night.
Skinner will get the start for the Oilers after allowing one goal on 61 shots the past two games.
“You talk about growth and maturity and stuff like that, I think 'Stu,' from a year ago today to where he’s at, he’s grown a lot, matured a lot as a goalie and as a person,” McDavid said. “He’s playing great. When he’s playing like that, we have all the faith in the world in him.”
Kings projected lineup
Quinton Byfield -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore -- Phillip Danault -- Viktor Arvidsson
Kevin Fiala -- Blake Lizotte -- Trevor Lewis
Carl Grundstrom -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Alex Laferriere
Mikey Anderson -- Drew Doughty
Vladislav Gavrikov -- Matt Roy
Andreas Englund -- Jordan Spence
David Rittich
Cam Talbot
Scratched: Arthur Kaliyev, Jacob Moverare
Injured: None
Oilers projected lineup
Adam Henrique -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Leon Draisaitl -- Evander Kane
Dylan Holloway -- Ryan McLeod -- Corey Perry
Warren Foegele -- Derek Ryan -- Mattias Janmark
Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse -- Cody Ceci
Brett Kulak -- Vincent Desharnais
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
Scratched: Philip Broberg, Connor Brown, Jack Campbell, Sam Carrick, Ryan Fanti, Sam Gagner, Troy Stecher
Injured: None
Status report
Each team held an optional morning skate Wednesday. ... Hiller wasn’t tipping his hat on potential line changes ahead of puck drop, saying, “You’ll have to wait and see.” … Holloway moves up to the third line and Foegele drops down to the fourth for the Oilers.
NHL.com independent correspondent Gerry Moddejonge contributed to this report
