The Edmonton Oilers face the Los Angeles Kings in Game Three of the First Round in what's been a closely contested series so far. The Oilers lost Game One and Game Three but both their losses came in overtime and they can easily be in control of this series. The Kings meanwhile have a 2-1 series lead after a 3-2 overtime win and take a comfortable series lead with another win on their home ice. Both teams look to take Game Four and the momentum of the series, making the upcoming game a pivotal one in the First Round.
The Oilers had the league's highest-scoring offense this season, averaging 3.96 goals per game, but in the First Round, the offense has fallen flat, scoring only nine goals with only two goals in Game Three. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have scored five goals and four assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has struggled. The hope is that Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can step up as they combined for 73 goals and 114 assists this season but only three assists in the series thus far.
The offense has struggled but the defense has stepped up in the series, allowing only nine goals with only five goals in the last two games. Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci have led the top pairing but the rest of the unit has stepped up as well with Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard, and the rest of the defensemen having created turnovers in the defensive zone and limited shots on the net. In addition, goaltender Stuart Skinner has stepped up in the net, saving 81 of the 90 shots he's faced.