3 Keys: Oilers at Kings, Game 3 of Western 1st Round

(P2) Oilers at (P3) Kings
Western Conference First Round, Game 3
Best-of-7 series tied 1-1
10 p.m. ET; TNT, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSSC

LOS ANGELES -- Connor McDavid said he's not concerned about being limited to one assist for the Edmonton Oilers through the first two games of the Western Conference First Round against the Los Angeles Kings.
The Oilers captain, who won the Art Ross and Rocket Richard Trophies as the NHL's top point and goal-scorer this season with a League career-high 153 points (64 goals, 89 assists), said he's focused on team success going into Game 3 of the best-of-7 series at Crypto.Com Arena on Friday.
"I couldn't care less about points, it's more about winning games," the center said Friday following Edmonton's morning skate. "The series is at 1-1 and that's the most important thing. It would be nice to find a way to chip in a little more offensively, but it's a tight-checking series, we knew it was going to be that way. I've thought we've done a good job generating chances and it's only a matter of time."
McDavid's point total this season was the highest in the NHL since Mario Lemieux had 161 points (69 goals, 92 assists) with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96.
His lone assist was on a goal by center Leon Draisaitl on the power play in a 4-2 win in Game 2 at Rogers Place on Wednesday. Los Angeles won 4-3 in overtime in Game 1 on Monday.
RELATED: [Complete Oilers vs. Kings series coverage]
The Kings have matched center Phillip Danault against McDavid as much as possible in the series and along with linemates Trevor Moore and Viktor Arvidsson have done an excellent job defensively against the Oilers top line.
"It's a good challenge, obviously," Moore said Friday. "That's what we've been saying, just play against those guys and try to do our best. Obviously, they're world-class players and we're just doing our best, but I feel like we've done a good job."
Here are 3 keys for Game 3:

1. Last change

With the series shifting to Los Angeles, Kings coach Todd McLellan will have benefit of last change, allowing him to get his preferred defensive matchups against the Oilers' top offensive players. Edmonton is expected to play with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, allowing coach Jay Woodcroft the ability to double-shift McDavid and Draisaitl, taking turns centering the fourth line with forwards Klim Kostin and Nick Bjugstad.
"If you have last change at home and your players are playing really well, then it goes in your favor," McLellan said. "If you're losing a matchup at home, it doesn't really matter, because you've got to change things anyhow."

2. Staying patient

The Oilers were the highest scoring team in the NHL this season with 325 goals, but knew offense would be harder to generate in the playoffs. Edmonton feels it's generating enough chances and wants to remain patient in pursuit of goals, careful to not take chances defensively to get them.
"You can't cheat in the playoffs, you'll get exposed pretty quickly," Oilers forward Evander Kane said. "It's something we know about; we're not going to get frustrated by it. We've played these guys a lot over a short period of time, and we know what we need to do to be successful."

3. Another forward down

Los Angeles will be without third-line center Blake Lizotte, out with an undisclosed injury. Lizotte had 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 81 games this season and did not have a point in the first two games of the series. Gabriel Vilardi, who returned for Game 2 after sitting out 10 games with an upper-body injury, will center the Kings' third line between Carl Grundstrom and Alex Iafallo.
"They are different players," McLellan said of Lizotte and Vilardi. "You gain in one area and maybe lose in another. Both are very important, well-respected players in our locker room. It would be great to have both in the lineup, but you don't always get what you want."
Los Angeles is still without forward Kevin Fiala, out with a lower-body injury, and Edmonton is without Mattias Janmark, who sustained a lower-body injury in Game 1.

Oilers projected lineup

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Connor McDavid -- Zach Hyman
Evander Kane -- Leon Draisaitl -- Kailer Yamamoto
Warren Foegele -- Ryan McLeod -- Derek Ryan
Klim Kostin -- Nick Bjugstad
Darnell Nurse -- Cody Ceci
Mattias Ekholm -- Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak -- Vincent Desharnais
Philip Broberg
Stuart Skinner
Jack Campbell
Scratched:Devin Shore
Injured:Mattias Janmark (lower body), Ryan Murray (back)

Kings projected lineup

Quinton Byfield -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore -- Phillip Danault -- Viktor Arvidsson
Carl Grundstrom -- Gabriel Vilardi -- Alex Iafallo
Zack MacEwen -- Rasmus Kupari -- Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Mikey Anderson -- Drew Doughty
Vladislav Gavrikov -- Matt Roy
Alexander Edler -- Sean Durzi
Joonas Korpisalo
Pheonix Copley
Scratched: Sean Walker, Arthur Kaliyev, Alex Laferriere
Injured: Blake Lizotte (lower body), Kevin Fiala (lower body)

Status report

The Oilers will have the same lineup they as Game 2 on Wednesday. … MacEwen and Anderson-Dolan will enter the lineup. ... Fiala is "getting better," McLellan said; the forward has not played since a 3-1 win at the Seattle Kraken on April 1.