Los Angeles Kings will meet Edmonton Oilers in the opening round for the upcoming Playoffs in the Stanley Cup for the fourth season in a row.
Oilers have won the three previous meetings and had a home advantage in each series.
On Monday night, in a regular seasonal game, the kings (46-24-9, 101 points) can pass second place in the Pacific Division and Home-Nice advantage with a victory over host Edmonton. With three matches left, Los Angeles has a two -point lead over Oilers, which has two matches left.
“We want to play (at home),” said King’s defender Brandt Clarke. “We want to play in front of our fans. They have been fantastic for us all season and obviously we have done well (at home). And I think it’s just time to … turn the script.”
Kings, which has the league’s best home record (31-5-4), will start a two-game road trip after claiming a 5-4 home victory over Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
Quinton Byfield opened the score for a third game in a row in a three -point game. Alex Laferriere had a career best three -point outing, and Kevin Fiala set a career high with his team -leading 34th goal for the campaign.
The three players have made one of the league’s best lines in recent weeks.
“We have kind of built a lot of chemistry in the last couple of months, and I think it really starts to show,” Laferriere said. “And I think people talk a lot about getting hot at the right time, and obviously we want to contribute to the playoffs.”
Oilers will return home after a 4-1 victory at Winnipeg Jets on Sunday and rides on a winning line with three games.
Edmonton (47-28-5, 99 points) met a Winnipeg squad that earlier in the day had climbed the president’s trophy as champion in the usual season and chose to sit out NR-1 goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck, top defender Josh Morrissey and Captain Adam Lowry. But circumstances did not decrease Oiler’s performance.
“When we get the entire range, we are such a deep club to help a little the best two players in the world. I think the feeling of faith in this group is very high,” Oilers said forward Connor Brown. “A couple of more games here before the dance, and so (we) keep our habits up and continue.”
Edmonton -captain Connor McDavid continued his dry pace, as he has collected nine assists in three excursions since missing eight matches due to injury. McDavid has 99 points this season and has noted 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) in a 16-game point that was interrupted by his lower bodily injury.
The good news for Edmonton does not end there, not even with the leading goal scorer and point producer Leon Draisaitl due to injury.
Goalkeeper Stuart Skinner returned after missing the previous eight matches with a head injury, and veteran Corey Perry gathered a goal and an assist, giving him 18 goals and 29 points for the season.
-Field level media
“It has been huge to have that point from usually a fourth row in our team, which played a maximum of 10 to 13 minutes,” coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Recently, the last pair of weeks due to the injuries (Perry’s) role has gone up, he has played more minutes. But for someone in that situation to get (close) to 20 goals and not be on the first unit’s power play, or very little this year, it is a remarkable year.”
-Field level media
