The Oilers can even their first-round series with the Kings on Sunday night in Game 4 at Rogers Place
The Edmonton Oilers look to even their first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings on home ice in Game 4 at Rogers Place on Sunday night.
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Paige & Cam break down the Oilers Game 3 victory over the Kings
EDMONTON, AB – “We’ll only get better.”
That’s what Connor Brown said after he scored twice in Edmonton’s 7-4 victory on Friday in Game 3 at Rogers Place, bringing their first-round series with the Kings to 2-1 as they look to even up the series on home ice in Game 4 on Sunday night.
The Oilers scored four unanswered goals in the third period, tying the game at 4-4 on Evander Kane’s hard work in the crease jamming it under Darcy Kuemper before Evan Bouchard’s power-play tally just 10 seconds later wound up as the winner after the Kings failed on a crucial coach’s challenge.
Edmonton finally got its power play going with its first two PPGs, both scored by Bouchard, who has two goals and three assists in the series.
Los Angeles still went 2-for-2 on the power play, but each was scored late on the man advantage, and the Oilers penalty kill looked much more composed against the Kings’ five-man top unit that’s now converted seven times on 12 opportunities in the series.
“Obviously, we want to try to get our power play involved. We understand how important special teams are in these series,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “Sometimes, they can make or break series, and the first two games they’ve had the advantage. So we wanted to try to turn it.
“I thought we had some good plans to get some quick attacks and obviously, it worked out for us on the PK side. I thought we did better things yesterday. They still stung us, so it’s important to stay out of the box at this point. But I thought the way that we were moving and kind of working together, they’re kind of two quick ones that they scored, so it’s definitely coming for us.”
Connor McDavid and Connor Brown added empty-net goals, and the Oilers received 24 saves from Calvin Pickard to earn the victory that keeps the momentum in their favour heading into Sunday’s Game 4 back at Rogers Place.
John discusses his progression on Saturday at Rogers Place
“I think the big thing in playoffs is you gotta stay even keeled,” John Klingberg said. “You have a great win like yesterday, and today, it’s just a matter of getting prepared for tomorrow. So I think we’re a veteran team and obviously going to the Finals last year, I think that helps a lot with just knowing what you have to do. But every game is going to be different and the outcome is going to be different as well.”=
After starting slow in the series, the Oilers feel encouraged about where their game is trending in the playoffs, and it’s only going to get better as more players players return to the lineup from injury while the one who’ve made it back adjust further to the pace of playoff hockey.
“I think practices, playing games and all that stuff is important, and as they get more time skating and playing high competition, they’re going to elevate their game,” the coach said.
Kane recorded a goal and an assist and tossed five hits in Game 3 while playing his regular brand in his second game back since missing the entire regular season recovering from off-season surgery.
Klingberg has put together two strong games in this series since returning for Game 2 after missing the final 10 games of the season with a lower-body injury. The Swede had ice time of 18:48 and 17:49 in Games 1 & 2 while picking up an assist in Los Angeles, helping fill some of the minutes left behind by the absence of his countryman Mattias Ekholm.
“This is the best I moved so far I think on the ice,” Klingberg said. “I think the time off with my ankle and the meds probably helped my hips a little bit, so it’s been good and I’m just going to keep building on that.”
Kris talks on Saturday about his team’s preparation for Sunday’s Game 4
Other than Ekholm, the Oilers are only missing Troy Stecher, who’d give Edmonton a healthy blueline, and his return appears to be in the next few games.
Trent Frederic is looking more and more like he’s putting his ankle injury that kept him out of the final six games of the regular season more and more behind him with each appearance. His ice time has slowly ticked up since he played only 7:10 on Apil. 5 against the Kings during his Oilers debut.
Draisaitl has posted a point in each game of the series after missing the last seven regular-season games, and Zach Hyman, who missed the last three games, had two assists in Game 3 after he found the scoresheet in Game 1.
“You saw the steps that Frederic, Kane and Klingberg have taken these last couple of games. They’re only going to continue to get better,” Knoblauch said. “I certainly hope so. That’s what I anticipate. We’ve got other guys who are just coming back too that have been missed, so not only them individually, but also collectively on who they’re playing with and getting some cohesion.
“Hopefully we continue on the rise.”
Jake Walman said it’s easier coming back when you’re playing in important games like these.
“A little bit of an adjustment, but it’s not hard to get up for these games. You don’t really have to motivate yourself,” he said. “It’s a big game and every game is. It’s fun to play in and you kind of forget about the things that are kind of ailing you when you’re that jacked up and ready to go.”
