Tag Archives: Kings

Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Zach Laing

Oilers vs Kings Preview – Oilers must help LB to win

No Goal Oilers Kings

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (30-40-7, 67 pts. 5-5 in their last 10) at LA Kings (44-25-5, 93 pts. 6-3-1 in their last 10)

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Time: 8:00 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: CBC – Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

After beating the San Jose Sharks in a huge 6-3 victory on Thursday night, the Oilers secured their first 30 win season since the 2011 – 2012 season when Tom Renney was behind the bench.

That season, the Oilers won 32 games, and finished the season with 74 points. Now with only five games to go before the season is finished, the Oilers sit with 67 points.

Tonight, the team looks to take on a Los Angeles team that has been been leading the Western Conference nearly all year. Laurent Brossoit gets the start tonight, and as it would be nice if he would be able to get some help from the offense:

In his five NHL starts, he has given up 15 goals, while the Oilers have only scored nine in front of him. This is not a knock against Brossoit by any means, but it shows the need for the team to play a tight hockey game in front of him. 

In order for the Oilers to come out of Los Angeles with two points, the team needs to play a tight hockey game. The Kings are simply the best in the west, and it has shown as they have beaten the Oilers in all four meetings this season. In the previous four games this season LA has outscored Edmonton 14 to eight.

In the past month since the last time the two teams met on Feb. 25, the Oilers have certainly become a different team after dealing Anders Nilsson, Justin Schultz and Teddy Purcell while acquiring Patrick “Big Rig” Maroon.

Maroon has come into the Oilers lineup and been a dynamic force on the ice. He plays the exact style of game that complements the likes of Connor McDavid and Jordan Eberle whom he has been playing with consistently as of late.

His three-assist performance against the Sharks Thursday night just shows his ability to play in a top-six role. He has got to be elated. 

When the Oilers came into this three game California road trip, I thought that if the team were to go .500 and play tight in the games I would consider that successful. 

Quotes from oilers.nhl.com.

Predictions for tonight:

  1. Oilers win 3-2 in OT.
  2. Connor McDavid scores the game-winning goal.
  3. The Oilers come out and play a very physical game, and there are two fights in the game.

Kings Preview:
Forward Vincent Lecavalier practiced Friday after he missed a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday with an undisclosed injury. There was no update provided on forward Kris Versteeg (foot), who has missed the past three games. The Kings have lost three straight since they clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff berth last Saturday. Los Angeles leads the Pacific Division by three points over the Anaheim Ducks, who have a game in hand. “These are games that we could have separated ourselves a little bit,” forward Jeff Carter told the Kings website. “We’ve got to get going here, we’re running out of games, you can’t get to the playoffs and then flip the switch, so we’ve got a lot of work to do here in the next couple weeks.”

— NHL.com

Line Combos and Starting Goalies:

Oilers (Laurent Brossoit):

Taylor Hall – Leon Draisaitl – Nail Yakupov
Patrick Maroon – Connor McDavid – Jordan Eberle
Lauri Korpikoski – Mark Letestu – Zack Kassian
Adam Cracknell – Matt Hendricks – Iiro Pakairnen

Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Jordan Oesterle – Griffin Reinhart
Darnell Nurse – Adam Clendening

EDM Injuries: Oscar Klefbom (leg infection), Andrew Ference (hip), Eric Gryba (knee), Benoit Pouliot (shoulder), Brandon Davidson (knee), Adam Pardy (hand), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (concussion).

LA Kings (Jonathan Quick): 

Tanner Pearson – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown
Milan Lucic – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King – Nic Dowd – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Nick Shore – Andy Andreoff

Brayden McNabb – Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin – Alec Martinez
Rob Scuderi – Luke Schenn

Any ideas on how to improve my game previews? Send me an email at zjlaing@gmail.com. Follow me on Twitter.

Breaking News, Edmonton Oilers, Rumors, Zach Laing

Oilers and Kings close to a deal for Purcell and Schultz

This deal has fallen through, and Teddy Purcell has been traded to the Panthers for a 3rd round pick.


 

This just in from David Pagnotta of TFP:

And this is from earlier today from John Hoven of Mayors Manor, a great blog about the LA Kings. This was RT’d by TSN’s Bob McKenzie:

A little Dreger for your eyes:

Hoven also tweeted about Nikolai Prokhorkin who he feels will be included in the trade. Prokhorkin is an interesting prospect, and is 2012 4th rounder of the Kings. Prokhorkin has played only eight games in North America. Hoven spoke about the Prokhorkin saga in this May 2015 article:

At the far opposite end of the spectrum – at least in terms of prospects we get asked about the most – it appears the book on Nikolai Prokhorkin has been closed. For those new to the story, this uber-talented forward first showed up on the radar when the Kings selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL Draft. He began the following season in Manchester, but then all hell broke loose a few weeks later. In short, the KHL claimed he was under contract, via a deal he said he never signed. Legal threats went back and forth in a story well-documented here. Then, last summer, he bought his way out of his KHL contract and led the Kings to believe he was bound for North America, only to re-sign with CSKA Moscow. Enough is enough, we’ve been told, as the Kings don’t plan on perusing him any further.

Hockey’s Future:

Prokhorkin possesses great puck-handling skills, impressive creativity and on-ice vision and plays a big physical game. He needs to pack on more muscle, but Prokhorkin is not opposed to, nor does he shy away from contact and playing in tight spaces. Like some other talented young Russian players, the Kings face some uncertainty as to whether Prokhorkin will come to North America if he is not assured a spot with the NHL club.

Elliotte Friedman suggested that the tie up on this deal is that the Oilers are trying to figure out if he will commit to North America or not. EDM wants to see if he can be signed this week.

As always, stay tuned to BLH for all the breaking news around deadline time.

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Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Zach Laing

Oilers vs Kings Preview – Fighting the Flu

Inconclusive?

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (6-11-0) at LA Kings (10-6-0)

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Time: 8:00 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: CBC – Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

Less than three weeks ago, the Kings visited the Oilers in Edmonton and Connor McDavid scored to send the game to overtime, but he didn’t really score. Tonight, the two teams meet for the first time since that fateful night and the Oilers look to make it out of their four game road trip with a .500 record.

The game will be a tough one, as the Kings are red hot as of late going 7-3 in their last ten games as well as outscoring opponents 32 – 14 in that time frame. Taylor Hall, who ranks second in the NHL in shots with 73 and fifth in the NHL in points scored, will continue to be heavily relied on alongside Leon Draisaitl to put up points for the Oilers. On the backend, Andrej Sekera will look to continue to build off his three game point streak (1G, 2A).

Interesting thing about tonight’s game, Todd McLellan doesn’t even know who’s playing:

Yes. No. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

That was more or less the rundown on the Edmonton Oilers lineup situation heading into Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.

Head coach Todd McLellan said he has a few players who are fighting the flu.

“I couldn’t tell you who we’re playing or not playing until game time,” he said after a team meeting. McLellan did not rule out the possibility of having to call up a player from the Bakersfield Condors.

Joanne Ireland, Edmonton Journal

Once we get any further updates on the lineup, we will update them in this preview.

For the Oilers to come out of this four game road trip at .500 would be great for a team that had gone 3-12-1 against the Blackhawks, Ducks, Coyotes and Kings last year. These are the things that the Oilers, and Oilers fans should be looking towards. Making progress and winning more games against our division will prove to be key for the team moving forward.

The Otherside:

Anze Kopitar, who took a shot off his lower leg in a 2-1 win against the New York Islanders on Thursday, did not skate Friday but is fine, assistant coach John Stevens told LA Kings Insider. “He’s had a maintenance day,” Stevens told the website. “He’s a pretty resilient guy, so I don’t have any further update than that.” Forward Jordan Weal, who has played two games this season, took Kopitar’s spot on a line with Tanner Pearson and Marian Gaborik, an indicator the Kings don’t think Kopitar will miss time. This is the final game of a five-game homestand (2-2-0). The Kings play the next five games on the road before returning to Los Angeles on Nov. 28. – nhl.com

Line Combos and Starting Goalies:

Lineups to be updated when available.

Oilers (Cam Talbot):

Kings (Jonathan Quick, unconfirmed)

Any ideas on how to improve my game previews? Send me an email at zjlaing@gmail.com.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BdZX8vRdhs]

Edmonton Oilers, NHL, Zach Laing

Game Nine Preview – Oilers vs Kings: Bounce Back

GAME NINE VS KINGS

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Game: Edmonton Oilers (3-5-0) vs LA Kings (4-3-0)

Location: Rexall Place, Edmonton

Time: 7:30 PM MT

Where to find it: TV: Sportsnet, Sportsnet 360 Radio: 630 CHED

Edmonton Oilers Preview:

Well, that Washington game was less than ideal but we have to remember we did face the one of the team’s widely considered to be a cup favourite. As the team learns and grows as a group, these games will unfortunately still happen. At this point, it’s about how we rebound after a rough game, and that is what I am excited to see from tonight’s matchup.

Brandon Davidson draws back into the lineup but I really don’t know if Davidson is the right fit to be in Edmonton right now.

Walter Foddis’ pregame Analytical Preview:

Pre-Game Analytics: LA vs. EDM – Oct 25/15 Against Los Angeles, Edmonton will be facing their toughest defensive pairings. Toughness can be measured using a Quality of Competition index such as each pair’s Shot Attempt differential (SAT%).

I list the Kings’ defensive pairs, which are organized by time-on-ice. This also implies how Sutter deploys them and against whom. I would expect, then, that because Doughty and Muzzin receive the most ice-time, they and their respective D-partners, will be facing the Oilers top-two lines.

1. Doughty & McNabb – 50.6%
2. Muzzin & Martinez – 64.7%
3. Ehrhoff & McBain – 56.4%

Note that all 3 pairs have a positive (i.e., >50%) shot attempt differential, with the Muzzin/Martinez pairing having exceptional numbers. (This is pretty standard for Muzzin, who has lead the LA defense in SAT% since 2012/13.)

How does this compare to the Oilers’ D-pairs?
1. Schultz & Klefbom – 48.6%
2. Sekera & Fayne – 48.5%
3(a). Gryba & Ference – 44.9%
3(b). Gryba & Reinhart – 36.9%

Comparing the 3rd pairings, the difference is as wide as 20%, which is a raw shot attempt differential of about 44 per 60 minutes. In effect, in a typical game at 5v5 (15 min.) we’d expect that with Ehrhoff/McBain on the ice, the Kings would out-shoot a Gryba/Reinhart-backed Oilers by 11 shot attempts.

We all know that’s the Oilers weakest area is their defense, so the above comparisons are not too surprising. The Oilers top-2 lines are going to be challenged not only by the King’s top-4 defenders, but the strong possession-dominant top-2 forward lines, which are centered by Kopitar and Carter.

I do not expect the Oilers to win the possession game, but can they keep it close, or at least better than last season. In 2014/15, Edmonton’s score-adjusted SAT% against LA was 43.6% and their score-adjusted Scoring Chance differential was 44.8%. If the Oilers improve these differentials by 3% to 4%, I would consider that a significant improvement.

The Otherside:

Goaltender Jonathan Quick, 9-0-2 in his past 11 decisions against Edmonton, is likely to start. He and forward Tyler Toffoli have helped Los Angeles win four in a row after it started with three losses. “We’re playing harder and a little more desperate,” center Anze Kopitar after a 3-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. “We didn’t start off very hot and now we’re building.” Quick has allowed two goals on 89 shots in winning his past three starts. Toffoli has six goals, including two against the Hurricanes, and has a four-game streak. – NHL.com

Line Combos c/o Daily Faceoff:

Oilers:

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Rob Klinkhammer
Benoit Pouliot – Connor McDavid – Nail Yakupov
Lauri Korpikoski – Anton Lander – Teddy Purcell
Luke Gazdic – Mark Letestu – Iiro Pakarinen

Oscar Klefbom – Justin Schultz
Andrej Sekera – Mark Fayne
Brandon Davidson – Eric Gryba

Cam Talbot

Kings:

Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown
Milan Lucic – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Tanner Pearson – Nick Shore – Trevor Lewis
Kyle Clifford – Andy Andreoff – Jordan Nolan

Brayden McNabb – Drew Doughty
Jake Muzzin – Alec Martinez
Derek Forbort – Christian Ehrhoff

Jonathan Quick
(unconfirmed)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVprz0nm0Y4]

Edmonton Oilers, Kris Hansen, NHL

The BLH Oilers Weekly Round Up: October 4th-10th

Photo courtesy of John Russell

 

First week of the NHL season took place. The Edmonton Oilers played twice losing both games to St. Louis and Nashville, 3-1 and 2-0 respectively. Still, hockey is back and I could not be anymore happier.

Edmonton Oilers Three Stars of the Week

You know, it’s a bit tough looking for three stars because there was really only one player that stood out as a number one star in my eyes and the rest were a collective “meh”. Even more so, it’s hard to choose someone when you go scoreless in two games (I’m not counting the accidental bank in goal from St. Louis as one).

3. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

He technically was credited with the goal against St. Louis but like I said, it was a complete fluke. Still, Nuge has been solid this year. He’s easily one of our best, if not best, defensive forward. He rarely looks lost out there. I’ve also noticed he’s not afraid to shoot the puck. I think him and Hall are a good fit together.

2. Nail Yakupov 

Hey! Nail finally got a chance to play with McDavid last night! That’s a positive right? He’s looked solid on both ends of the ice. He is causing turnovers in the offensive zone and is more tenacious. He needs to shoot the puck more though: there were times where he would look for a pass rather than a shot. Plus, he fumbled it twice on the blue line in the game against Nashville. Still, with Eberle out, it’s about time that Yakupov gets a chance in the top six and it’s up to him to keep it that way.

1. Cam Talbot 

This one is a landslide first star. Talbot was very solid to outstanding in the two games so far. I cannot say that of the four goals he let in that it was on him. He’s keeping the team in the games which has been a far cry from past seasons where the goalies could not save a beachball from going in. The irony is now the Oilers cannot score. Who saw that one coming? Talbot is looking like a number one goalie that the Oilers have needed so badly these last couple of seasons, two games in be damned.

Edmonton Oilers News and Rumors 

At this point of the season, there are not a lot of rumblings.

There was a rumor that Nikitin would be going to Russia. Alas, per Elliot Friedman, that will not be the case.  He’s going to be staying in Bakersfield for the foreseeable future.

Everyone’s favorite mostly out of touch TSN segment the Reporters are questioning if the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid are crumbling under pressure.  Before we take out the pitchforks, Farber does defend the notion as being silly. Which it totally is because it’s two games into the season.

Around the League 

Videos of the Week. 

We had our first 3v3 OT game it was absolute madness.

 

Henrik Lundqvist made the save of the year

 

Jack Eichel had his first NHL goal

As did Dylan Larkin

The Week Ahead

The Oilers take on Dallas on Tuesday, St. Louis on Thursday for our home opener and visit Calgary on Saturday for a Hockey Night in Canada game.

That’s your Weekly Roundup for this week!

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