GAME RECAP: Kings 6, Oilers 3

LOS ANGELES, CA - The Oilers penalty kill woes continued on Monday as they surrendered four power-play goals to the Kings in a 6-3 defeat to open their four-game road trip.
It was penalties aplenty for both teams at Crypto.com Arena, but especially for the visitors who were dealt seven minors as opposed to six for the Kings. The Oilers have now surrendered 42 power-play goals against this season, which is tied for the most in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks.
"I think the refs got involved," Head coach Jay Woodcroft said after the game. "There were a lot of calls both ways and we went 0-for-6 on our power play and they scored four on their power play, four on seven. Obviously some of those penalties are within our control and our penalty kill.
"They moved the puck around well so give them a little bit of credit, but our penalty kill can be a lot sharper and we ended up on the wrong side of the special teams battle. I thought that was the difference in the game."
The Vancouver Canucks have the lowest PK percentage in the league at 68.1, but after Monday's matchup the Oilers aren't too far ahead at 72.7, ranking 27th overall.
To make matters worse, Edmonton's PP -- one of the team's biggest strengths -- was held off the score sheet, though Kailer Yamamoto's first-period goal came just after a Kings penalty expired.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

GAME DAY
Photo Gallery
Highlights
Look Back at the In-Game Blog
POST-GAME VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Post-Game vs. LAK
POST-RAW | Coach Woodcroft
POST-RAW | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
POST-RAW | Kailer Yamamoto
POST-RAW | Derek Ryan
POST-GAME UPDATES
Inside The Oilers Blog

FIRST BLOOD

The penalty theme started early as the teams exchanged power plays in the opening 10 minutes, but only the Kings were able to convert as their NHL All-Star selection Kevin Fiala wired a one-timer into the top corner over Stuart Skinner's glove-side shoulder at the 9:21 mark -- his first of two man-advantage markers in the period. Kings captain Anze Kopitar picked up his 1,100th career point with the second assist while Adrian Kempe delivered the pass to Fiala for the slap-shot tally.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Down 2-1 through 20 minutes, the Oilers were back on the PP 1:33 into the middle frame, but the advantage was cut short when they were called for too many men. The teams played four-on-four for 19 seconds until the Kings went on the PP and converted 18 seconds later when Fiala hit Kempe with a blueline-to-blueline pass, sending him in alone on a breakaway with the Swede sneaking a five-hole shot past Skinner to make it 3-1 Los Angeles.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Pheonix Copley made a pair of close-range stops on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the latter stages of the second period as the Oilers were pressing to narrow their deficit, ultimately finishing the game with 28 saves for his ninth win in his last 10 starts.

TURNING POINT

Kempe's 3-1 goal prompted the Oilers coaches to pull Skinner and replace him with birthday boy Jack Campbell, who proceeded to make what appeared to be a highlight-reel glove save on Kempe at the 11:38 mark of the middle frame with the Kings on yet another power play. Campbell darted across his crease and snared Kempe's shot with his glove right along the goal line, but after the officials reviewed the play it was determined the puck crossed the line and the Kings took a 4-1 lead.

TOP PERFORMER

Fiala was a force for the Kings throughout Monday's matchup, scoring their first two goals and contributing the primary assist on both of Kempe's markers in the middle frame, putting up a four-point night to bring him up to 46 on the season. Oh, and he was also coming off a hat-trick performance against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

PARTING WORDS

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft on the special teams in Los Angeles:
"I didn't think we were sharp enough. I thought we had some very good looks that we got and we weren't sharp enough on some of our offensive opportunities. That's going to happen some nights. Our power play has operated at the level it has this season. That's going to happen. How about the penalty kill, step up and take care of the other team's power play? If that would have happened, I think we wouldn't be talking about our lack of production. The penalty kill, I believe, has taken a step here over time, but tonight we got touched up. It's the way it goes, but it was the difference in the game."

Woodcroft on Jack Campbell coming into the contest:
"I thought Jack Campbell played excellent. The score sheet will say he let two goals in, but he made a huge save on that one that was overturned and called the goal in the penalty box there. But he made a big save. I thought he gave us a chance to win the game tonight and he should feel real good about where his personal game is at because he's really taking a step here post-Christmas."
Woodcroft on the fights:
"I think our team showed fight and our team showed fire in a game where things didn't go all our way. I think that's a positive sign. I'd also say that we had some good hits on some of their skilled players in legal fashion.I thought on the physicality side of things, we were right there and it's nice to see some guys step up with that. I thought that spoke to the level of fight in our group. It didn't work for us on the special teams, but certainly the guys were working."
Derek Ryan on the penalty kill:
"I mean, we'll have to go back and watch the tape, but obviously a game we want back on the PK. I liked our game five-on-five. I thought we carried majority of the play and had some good looks, good zone time, and the penalty kill just couldn't get it done."

Ryan on the power plays disrupting the game's flow:
"It disrupts a lot of the rhythm of the play. It's hard to get in a rhythm five-on-five, and there's so many penalties. And look, I thought it went both ways. I thought they were calling it pretty tight."
Kailer Yamamoto on Hyman, Kostin and Puljujarvi's fights:
"It's great to see those guys fighting shows that they want to win, shows they want to go to war for all the guys in the locker room. So it's good."
Yamamoto on moving on to the next game:
"We just got to put this one behind us and focus on the next one. The next one is going to be huge. Going to Anaheim, we need to build some momentum. We need to start getting these ones."
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the if he was more frustrated by the PP or PK:
"I think a bit of both for sure. As a killer and on the power play, we just simply lost a special teams battle and at the end of the day, it's kind of what it came down to. At five-on-five, for the most part, we were getting some looks and generating a few chances and a little bit of momentum and then get stopped short by our penalty kill."