The Kings are nurses in welcome, Oilers for Matinee Clash – Orange County Register

Elton John did not sing “Saturday Afternoon’s All Gard for the fighting”, but the Kings and the Edmonton Oilers will launch blows on a morning of Saturday which could greatly contribute to determining their respective paths through the playoffs.

Oilers are already beaten. They are without Captain Connor McDavid, the best quasi-consensusus in the world since March 20, when he has extended his score sequence at 13 games. The main producer of Edmonton this season – and the third more prolific of the NHL despite the missing matches – is Leon Draisaitl, and after his return from an injury and played two and a half games (five points), Draisaitl left on Thursday 2-2 against San Jose and did not return.

After the match, Edmonton’s coach Kris Knoblauch had no firm update on Draisaitl and his status for Saturday, although the Oilers do not remember a 13th healthy striker on Friday. Tony Brar of Oilers TV reported that Draisaitl did not train on Friday.

“You never want to miss these guys. You never want your best players not to play because each time they are in it, it decreases your chances of winning,” Knoblauch told journalists.

On Saturday will be a pivotal meeting between Rivals, which has divided the series of the season, each team winning their home game so far and a match to play in each place. They will also meet in Edmonton on April 14. The two previous meetings were decided by a single goal. The Kings have won seven of their last nine games and 12 of their last 15, although Edmonton followed the pace, spending 7-2-1 in his last 10 games.

The Kings, with the best NHL reception bar at 28-4-4, have a two-point lead on the Oilers. This has able to organize a first -round series after starting the eliminatory series in Edmonton for three consecutive positions and brings back the first round each time.

An even more important goal could focus on kings. Thursday, with their 4-2 defeat of UTAH HC, they did not acquire any additional separation of Edmonton, but committed the gap at only three points of Vegas for the head of the Pacific division. There are no games in mind

Thursday’s final score barely told the whole story to Salt Lake City, where Darcy Kuemper was as a seat, the Kings surpassed 16-3 to 20 minutes and 25-10 after 40. A goal canceled, two totals four against four and a few other unconventional games helped the posting of Kings to the Stall

Kevin Fiala, who scored a leak goal on Thursday, said that the Kings locker room has shown some frustration during the second intermission, but neither panic nor confidence.

“I mean, we have not (well played) during the first two periods, but Darcy kept us and who cares?” Fiala told journalists. “It was a 1-1 match and I think we just returned the switch, which is great. So yes, it was a good team victory.”

Kuemper, however, was not only the strongest element for the Kings on Thursday, but their best individual artist all season. His rebound campaign sent him to the stratosphere, having turned 12 consecutive departures with two goals or less authorized. It is at the top of the NHL season, four times the longest sequence of Igor Shesterkin, three times the duration of Connor Hellebuyck and more than twice as long as the longest passage of Andrei Vasilevskiy with two goals or less authorized goals.

Coach Jim Hiller called the Kings Kings’ vertebral column all year round “.

“You can’t really say enough good things about how he played this year,” Trevor Moore, to journalists, told Journalists on Thursday. “He has so much confidence in how we play, and he steals games like that.”

For the oilers, each match could look like a robbery, a combat or leakage foray with a causeless crew.

Not only did McDavid and Draisaitl miss an action, but the goalkeeper Start Stuart Skinner is one of the other key players currently sidelined. Evander Kane, who threw the kings into the playoffs, has not played this season. The acquisition of the Diadline Tradline Trent Frederic (they also added defender Jake Walman from San Jose) has not yet known to Orange and Blue. The best defender Mattias Ekholm also entered an injury, one of which will probably keep him out of the ice during this trip on the road.

The oilers hindered and the tightening of the division race, the opportunity abounds for kings in the section.

Edmonton aux rois

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Or: Crypto.com Arena

TV: FDSNW