PREVIEW: Oilers at Kings

The Edmonton Oilers conclude their three-game road trip by aiming for their fifth straight win at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings.

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PREVIEW: Oilers at Ducks

LOS ANGELES, CA – On a milestone night for captain Connor McDavid, the Edmonton Oilers will look to complete a perfect three-game road trip and extend their win streak to five on Tuesday with a victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena.

McDavid will play in his 800^th career NHL game and currently leads the league with 13 points (3G, 10A) through five games this season – one ahead of teammate Evan Bouchard and Vegas’ Jack Eichel after he picked up an assist in Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Sharks.

No. 97 is off to the best start of his illustrious career and one of the best starts in NHL history, with his totals this year and in 2021-22 (13 points in five games) being second only to New Jersey's Jack Hughes and his 14 points during the 2023-24 season.

“There aren’t enough things to say about Davo. He's a leader on and off the ice,” Bouchard said. “What he's accomplished already and his career is special. He's played a big role in my growth and my confidence on the ice, so he's played a big part in that for me.”

For Bouchard, who carried on building his early case for the Norris Trophy with an assist in 24:07 of ice time against San Jose, there’s so much behind the scenes that McDavid does that goes unnoticed, but not by his teammates who are around him every day and feel the impact of his leadership on and off the ice.

Head Coach Mike Babcock, who’s only had the pleasure of coaching McDavid for a few months now, there’s an even greater sense of appreciation for No. 97 in his assessment just from seeing firsthand how driven he is to push the boundaries for himself & his teammates.

Having coached the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg during his time with the Detroit Red Wings, Babcock knows just how important leaders are in lifting a locker room, and McDavid exemplifies that every day with the Oilers.

“Obviously, when you come here and you see the work ethic every day, the commitment to being really good, it's like a lot of the superstars – they got a drive that’s second to none,” Babcock said. “He's a proud guy who's a really good teammate, and is pushing the guys by example every day.

“He wants to have success, and so we're trying to help him with that process.”

The Oilers will try to begin the season with a point streak of at least six games for the third time in franchise history, having last done so during the 1984-85 season (12-0-3-0) and having four instances of starting with points in five straight.

Meanwhile, the Kings will try to avoid going winless in their first five games, something they haven't done since 1997-98, after having only four games in the opening 15 days of the 2026-27 regular season.

OWEN OWNING THE FACEOFF DOT

Oilers forward Owen Michaels is carving out a role for himself with his reliability in the faceoff circle despite a lack of experience that hasn't impacted him, with only five total professional games played to build on.

Michaels went 10-for-12 in faceoffs during Saturday's win over the Sharks, often drawing the assignment in the defensive zone as the Oilers' only right-handed centre currently on the roster and completing the assignment with flying colours.

Michaels is 20-for-31 (64.5 percent) this season on faceoffs in the D zone and has a 60.0 percent overall faceoff win percentage (30-for-65), earning his teammates' and coaches' trust that he can be relied on in key draws and matchups.

The 24-year-old has also scored twice, adding to his importance as a depth scorer over an average of 12:44 of ice time.

"He's playing against really good players every single night, and he still seems to be competitive and doing well," Babcock said. "This guy has done a good job so far, and he's a work in progress. With our situation, especially with our lineup, this has been an important piece for us and has allowed us to move ahead."