Oilers vs. Kings Preview
LOS ANGELES, CA (AP) – After posting three resounding wins on a five-game road trip, the Los Angeles Kings will spend most of the next three-plus weeks at home.
That’s very good news for a team that has been dominant at Staples Center.
The Kings look to continue their outstanding play at home and end a five-game losing streak there to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night in the teams’ first meeting this season.
According to NHL odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Kings -210 money line favorites for Thursday’s game against the Oilers. Current NHL Public Betting Information shows that 85X% of more than 249 bets for this game have been placed on the Kings -210.
Following a 3-0-1 homestand, the Kings (19-12-1) embarked on a five-game trip last week brimming with confidence, and they only felt better about themselves after opening the trek with a 5-0 victory at Central Division-leading Detroit.
Although there were losses to St. Louis and Chicago sandwiched around a rout of Nashville, Los Angeles closed the trip Wednesday night with another 5-0 win, this time ending Colorado’s six-game winning streak.
“Overall this trip was a tough one with the teams we were playing,” captain Dustin Brown said. “We were a little disappointed in our efforts, especially in St. Louis and Chicago, but looking back, taking three out of five isn’t bad.”
Jonathan Quick notched his third shutout of the season Wednesday, and Brown matched a career high with four points on two goals and two assists as the Kings blanked a team that had averaged 4.5 goals during its win streak.
“They’re probably one of the top-ranked power plays and the highest-scoring offense in the league, and at times they did get pressure, but we still managed to keep the scoring chances to a minimum,” Quick said.
Keeping scoring chances to a minimum is something the Kings have done extremely well at home, where they are 11-2-1 and will play 10 of their next 12. They have allowed more than two goals only three times in those 14 games while limiting opponents to two power-play goals in 50 opportunities.
Anze Kopitar has been productive regardless of location, leading Los Angeles with 34 points. He has been red-hot at home lately, with seven goals and eight assists during a nine-game point streak there.
The Kings have points in eight straight meetings against the Oilers, going 4-0-4. Los Angeles’ last five home games in the series, however, have resulted in shootout losses.
Edmonton (12-15-5) opened a three-game trip Wednesday night with a 2-1 loss to San Jose, getting a late third-period goal from Dustin Penner.
It was the Oilers’ third loss in four games following a 5-0-1 stretch. The defeat also ended a three-game road win streak during which they outscored opponents 13-4.
“We beat ourselves, our second period we gave up the power play and a couple turnovers,” coach Tom Renney told the team’s official website. “We played a pretty good hockey game, not good enough to win.”
Taylor Hall assisted on Penner’s goal, giving him four in two games, while fellow rookie Jordan Eberle had his three-game goal streak snapped.
Nikolai Khabibulin is likely to be back in net for Edmonton given his success in Los Angeles. He is 7-2-0 with a 2.28 goals-against average in his last nine starts there.
Quick is 3-0-2 with a 1.76 GAA in five career starts versus the Oilers.
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