PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Kings (Game 2)

The Edmonton Oilers aim to take a 2-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round matchup at Rogers Place on Wednesday night.

You can watch the game on Sportsnet & Hockey Night in Canada at 8:00 p.m. MT or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.

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Game previews during the 2024 Oilers playoffs are presented by Pizza 73 🍕

PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Kings (Game 2)

EDMONTON, AB – Round 1. Game 2.

Following a confident 7-4 win in Game 1 of their first-round showdown with the Kings, the Oilers look to grab a commanding 2-0 series lead in Game 2 at Rogers Place on Wednesday before the two rivals head to Los Angeles to continue the fight.

So far, the script has been flipped from the two teams’ previous post-season meetings in 2022 & 2023, when the Kings won both Game 1s in Oil Country before losing in seven and six games.

Now, with a 1-0 series advantage intact, the Blue & Orange will try to use those experiences from losing positions to try and prevent their familiar foes from having any sort of similar comeback this time around.

“It’s definitely nice to win Game 1 and not play from behind and chase it the whole way,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins after Tuesday’s practice. “I think it's been seven years for us now, so it's a good way to start, but there’s tons of work left to do and we know that."

The Oilers were victorious in a Game 1 on home ice for the first time since 2017 after being 0-7 in their previous seven tries, and are 21-3 all-time in series where they’ve held a 1-0 advantage – including a 13-0 record when they open with a win at home.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to win four out of seven and that doesn't change no matter how it goes for the first few," Nugent-Hopkins added. "But it's definitely nice not having to chase it because it's been a while for us to get that one out of the way."

Earning the opening victory helps embolden the Oilers heading into what will be a crucial Game 2 where the series can go two different directions – either to a two-game lead for Edmonton and a stranglehold on the series, or home-ice advantage shifting back in the Kings' favour heading back to Crypto.com Arena for Games 3 & 4.

Having been in both positions, the Oilers know there's plenty of hockey left in this series that will play out over separate games that will unfold irrespective of what happened in the previous contest; posing new challenges, adversity and adjustments for both sides. For Edmonton, past experiences like when they kept their season alive in 2022 before winning on home ice in Game 7 help keep them centred on just winning one game at a time.

"We like where we're at right now, but at the same time, last year we went to LA at 1-1 so there's a lot of work left to be done," Mattias Ekholm said. "You feel a little bit better about yourself waking up this morning being up 1-0, so we'll take that, but we also know that game's in the past and we have to focus on tomorrow."

The Oilers look to continue building on a composed start to their playoff push on Monday that saw them receive big efforts from some of their biggest contributors – Connor McDavid’s incredible five assists, Evan Bouchard’s four helpers and Zach Hyman’s hat-trick to name only a few – and finish the night 3-for-4 on the power play.

McDavid even hinted after the game that they could still have a few tricks on the man advantage, while netminder Stuart Skinner, who shared the podium in the Hall of Fame Room with his captain, praised the Oilers penalty-kill unit that he’s a part of that kept the Kings' power play off the board on two chances.

Five of Skinner’s 33 saves came while on the penalty kill, and it was an otherwise strong night for the Edmonton product despite a couple of bad bounces off his defencemen’s skates and a pair of late goals from Trevor Moore and Blake Lizotte.

With that said, the Oilers still believe they can tighten things up over the full 60 minutes after allowing the Kings to control a few segments of the game.

"For about five minutes in the second period, we sat back a little bit too much and they started pushing and getting a little confidence and momentum. We can't let that happen," Nugent-Hopkins said.

"I think we can close plays out a little bit quicker. I thought we did that for 50 to 55 minutes of the game, but it's not about having those lulls. And this time of year, when you have lulls, teams capitalize and we understand that. I think we did a good job after that just taking care of the puck."

On Tuesday, in a bid to keep things 'crisp' as Nugent-Hopkins would later go on to say, the Oilers had a quick and straightforward practice at Rogers Place that was no more than 20 minutes long and designed to have the players continue feeling good about where their game is at. That trend could continue for much of Edmonton’s playoff run, as their game plan has already been formulated and the focus is firmly on managing the physical and mental stress of the playoffs.

Simply put, the Blue & Orange just want to get back out there and continue playing.

"It's all about being able to rest and take care of your body," Nugent-Hopkins said. "Some games can go late into overtime. You can play full 60 where it comes down to the last minute. We've seen it already in this playoffs. So it's all about managing your body, putting the right things in it, getting the right amount of sleep and just making sure that you take care of yourself."