Los Angeles Kings (24-11-5) at Edmonton Oilers (26-13-3)
TV: Sportsnet West. Radio: 880 CHED.
TIME: 7:30 p.m. Monday
Odds: Kings +142, Oilers -172
THE SETUP
Fresh off the longest continuous road trip of the season, having gone 3-1, he Oilers make a quick stop back at Rogers Place to face the Kings in the first of six games against playoff opponents, This game breaks up a stretch that will see Edmonton play seven of eight games on the road, as they check in second in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the Kings in third place. These two teams have been breathing down each other’s neck all season long.
LEON STANDS ALONE
Leon Draisaitl leads the league with 31 goals, 24 even-strength goals, four overtime goals and nine game-winning goals, while sitting second overall with 63 points in 42 games. Anze Kopitar leads the Kings at a point-per-game clip, with 12 goals and 28 assists in 40 games this season.
THE QUOTE
“I think looking at our schedule, how difficult our next five or six games are, it’s about as tough a schedule throughout the regular season.”
• Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch
THE LINEUPS
LOS ANGELES
Forwards
Turcotte – Kopitar – Kempe
Foegele – Byfield – Moore
Fiala – Danault – Laferriere
Jeannot – Lewis
Defence
Anderson – Gavrikov
Englund – Clarke
Moverare – Spence
Burroughs
Goalies
Kuemper
Rittich
EDMONTON
Forwards
Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Arvidsson
Janmark – Henrique – Brown
Kapanen – Ryan – Perry
Defence
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Stecher
Kulak – Emberson
Goalies
Skinner
Pickard
INJURIES
KINGS: Joel Edmundson (upper body)
OILERS: None
E-mail: [email protected]
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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