"In his first shift, you could see that he wanted to be better tonight. He was better tonight," Tippett added.
After leading the Oilers with one goal and six assists in three games against the Kings last season, Oscar Klefbom picked up right where he left off with three helpers on the night to ensure the Oilers depart on the road for the first time this season with a 2-0 record.
Netminder Mike Smith settled in as the game went on with his teammates answering the rallying cry, making 27 saves on 32 shots after two attempted clears in the opening frame resulted in goals from Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis.
"I loved the way our guys were talking on the bench: 'We've got to grab this for him,'" Oilers Head Coach Dave Tippett said.
The Oilers depart for their first road trip of the season on Monday, a four-game Eastern swing where they face the New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks, with the momentum built from a two-game, season-opening win streak.
They'll enjoy the win now, but the work doesn't stop.
"That was a fun game, wasn't it?" Tippett laughed. "Love that we won, love that we got the points, but there's a lot of mistakes to clean up."