The poster boys for dismissing a coach up against a team that had just dismissed its coach made for an interesting matchup, Would the Edmonton Oilers, who entered the game 27-7-0 under Kris Knoblauch, be upset by the Los Angeles Kings, who were playing their first game since firing Todd McLellan during their bye week.
The Kings defeated Edmonton 4-0 in a game that was never close, even at 0-0, as they shut down their highly regarded offense, took advantage of their defensive errors, and pulled away in the second period.
\Winger Zach Hyman stated, “To be honest, they just played better than us.” There wasn’t a lot of room, so we had to make something happen outside. Both the game and the special teams duel were won by them.
“They simply functioned.” They appeared to be scattered across the ice.
Although Edmonton has won 17 of its previous 19 games, so the overall picture is still promising, there is increasing worry that the formerly unbeatable Oilers are faltering after going 16-0.
They lost in Vegas to start the tour, barely beat a punching bag in Anaheim due to a lack of personnel, and failed to make any progress in Los Angeles.
They have let up 10 goals in three games after going 14 games without surrendering more than two goals in a game. They were outgunned 2-0 and 2-0 in the third periods against Vegas and L.A., after they had never lost a third period in their 16-game run.
Their engines appear to have been severely clogged by the bye week.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins stated, “When you’re going like that, it’s not ideal (to shut it down for nine days), but that’s the way it is.” “There’s no justification; you have no control over it. In fact, I felt that we battled in the last game (in Anaheim) and played well against Vegas.
And against that squad tonight, it’s difficult to chase it. We persevered and had opportunities, but we were unable to locate it. You won’t get anything easy from them.
Although it’s not a major issue just yet, the Oilers must take immediate action.
“This is where we’re going to have to find it again,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. “We have to start the second half; there are no excuses.”
Their losses are made much more excruciating by the fact that they occurred in playoff-caliber games against division rivals during this trip. The difference between them and Los Angeles for second place in the Pacific is now three points instead of the potential seven points.
“We played our best game (of the trip) probably in the first game against Vegas,” Knoblauch remarked.
