The Edmonton Oilers (44-26-5) are in town just before the playoffs to face off against the Los Angeles Kings (43-23-9) in the third of their four-game series. The Oilers are two points behind the Kings, making it important for the Kings to secure these two points and officially clinch a playoff spot. With the best home record in the NHL of 28-4-4, playing in Los Angeles was a challenging task for any visiting team. Darcy Kuemper manned the net for the Kings while Calvin Pickard led the Oilers out. As Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl remained out of the lineup today, the Kings held a significant advantage to defeating Edmonton on home ice. After missing the previous game against the Utah Hockey Club, the Kings' defense sees the return of Jordan Spence to the lineup. 

Kings and Oilers Battle Hard in First Period

The game officially began with the opening faceoff, as Anže Kopitar won against Adam Henrique. Both the Kings and the Oilers were delivering hits throughout the period, but with seven minutes remaining, the Kings held the lead in shots at 7-3. Kuemper was effectively protecting the Los Angeles net, while Edmonton, playing without their captain and Draisaitl, lacked their usual energy and speed. As the buzzer sounded, both teams headed into intermission scoreless. 

Scoreless After One 

The second period burst into action with a beautiful goal by Jeff Malott, but the celebration was short-lived. An Oilers challenge proved successful, overturning the goal due to an offside ruling, leaving the score at 0-0 and Malott still seeking his first NHL goal.