LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Kings hope a goaltending change helps them rebound against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round on Sunday.
David Rittich will get the start ahead of Cam Talbot for Los Angeles, which trails the best-of-seven series 2-1. Rittich made 26 saves in a 4-0 shutout win against Edmonton on Feb. 10.
“David’s going to go, and we feel good about that,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said Sunday. “We thought Cam did a good job, that’s not it. David’s played really well for us, he played really well against Edmonton, we’ll give him a go.”
Rittich is 5-5-1 with a 2.73 goals-against average and .904 save percentage and one shutout in 13 games against Edmonton. He’s never faced the Oilers in the playoffs.
Edmonton will stick with goalie Stuart Skinner, who made 27 saves in a 6-1 win in Game 3 on Friday.
The Oilers are looking to take a 3-1 series lead back to Edmonton for Game 5 on Wednesday, with a chance to eliminate the Kings in the opening round for the third consecutive season.
“I think for us, our mindset has to be to play with desperation right from the start, right from the drop of the puck,” Oilers forward Adam Henrique said. “I thought we did a good job of that last game, so I think for us that’s a big key, getting off to a good start and trying to impose our game on them.”
Here are 3 keys for Game 3:
1. Facing new goalie
The Oilers had some memorable battles against Rittich when he was with the Calgary Flames but have never faced him in the playoffs. Rittich’s playoff experience is limited to two appearances. He replaced Talbot for the Flames in Game 6 of the 2020 Western Conference First Round against the Dallas Stars and gave up three goals on nine shots in a 7-3 loss.
Rittich started Game 1 of the 2022 Western Conference First Round for the Nashville Predators against the Colorado Avalanche and gave up five goals on 13 shots before being replaced by Connor Ingram for the rest of the series. Rittich has a 15.17 GAA with a .636 save percentage in those two playoff appearances.
“We have noted some tendencies of how he plays and where he could be vulnerable, maybe exposed,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “That might give a little bit of an advantage for the shooters, but both their goalies are very capable, good quality goaltenders and we need to play our best.”
2. Special teams domination
Los Angeles had the second-best penalty-killing unit in the League during the regular season at 84.6 percent, but has struggled to stop Edmonton’s power play through the first three games of the series.
The Kings have given up seven power-play goals on 14 opportunities (50 percent), which is the most of all 16 playoff teams. Edmonton was 3-for-4 on the power play in a 7-4 win in Game 1 and 3-for-7 in Game 3.
“I think it’s realistic for the PK to kill off two, maybe max three, but once you get in five and sixes, we have no chance,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said Sunday. “We have to stop taking so many penalties.”
Conversely, the Kings have yet to score on 10 power plays. Los Angeles had the 12th-ranked power play during the regular season, converting at 22.6 percent.
“Our power play has been pretty consistent all year,” Kings forward Quinton Byfield said Sunday. “It doesn’t matter who is in on the power-play unit, it’s been clicking pretty well for us. The last game we got some opportunities, we got some chances, so it’s a matter of time before one goes in.”
Each team has 10 goals at even strength.
3. Good start
The team to score first has won every game of the series, accentuating the importance of a good start for both.
Edmonton built a 4-0 and 3-0 lead, respectively, in Game 1 and 3 on its way to comfortable wins. Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in Game 2 and went on to win 5-4 in overtime.
“I think the biggest thing is, how the series has gone, you look at the team that had strongest first period had come out with all these wins,” Knoblauch said. “It’s no secret us losing in Game 2, after the first period it was 3-1. We were able to tie it up later, but it just makes our job a lot harder. I think it’ll be very important that we’re ready to go in the first period.”
