3 Takeaways From Oilers’ 1-0 Loss to Kings

This was a painfully boring matinee game as the Edmonton Oilers lost 1-0 to the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday afternoon (April 11). Evan Bouchard’s turnover resulted in Artemi Panarin’s breakaway, and he made no mistake 7:34 into the first period. That was all the offence required, as Anton Forsberg stopped all 27 shots he faced for the shutout. There weren’t many high-danger chances, as the Oilers had a 9-5 advantage at 5-on-5, which is an incredibly low total.

The contest was horrendously officiated on both sides. Referees Kelly Sutherland and Corey Syvret were abysmal. They let stuff go all game, as each team had just one power play. However, after letting infractions go all game, they called Connor McDavid for holding with just under five minutes remaining in the third period. Moments before, McDavid was interfered with in a more egregious play. Oilers’ defenceman Jake Walman also got away with a boarding penalty a few minutes earlier. I guess they had to set a “standard” with five minutes left. There’s zero consistency.

Injuries continue piling up for the Oilers as Max Jones left the game in the first period after 2:07 of ice time. He finished a check and awkwardly went into the boards. They are now without Jones, Mattias Janmark, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Jason Dickinson. Despite this setback, they continue to push for their first division title in 39 years. This was their third 1-0 loss of the season. Here are three takeaways from another frustrating loss.

Draisaitl’s Absence Was Felt

This was a game where they needed Draisaitl. The Kings shut down McDavid all game, and Edmonton didn’t have a counterpunch. They were thin up the middle, especially without Dickinson. They didn’t have that offensive weapon on the second line and couldn’t find a goal elsewhere.

Draisaitl’s offence wasn’t the only thing missing. He was severely missed in the faceoff circle. He has won 628 draws this season, good for 56.9 percent. In the final minutes, down by one, the Oilers lost four consecutive offensive zone faceoffs, allowing the Kings to run out the clock. They needed Draisaitl’s faceoff prowess to help push for the equalizer. The Oilers only won 44.4 percent of the faceoffs in this game, and that was a problem. The Kings won 30 faceoffs, and Anze Kopitar won 17 of them. He made a significant impact, and Edmonton was unable to respond. They needed their German superstar in the dot.

Dach & Frederic Provided Energy

Do the Oilers finally have an identity line? Colton Dach and Trent Frederic were extremely noticeable. They play a simple style, and the team needs more of it. They play a physical game and get into the dirty areas. They each finished the game with two shots and six hits, with Frederic playing 14:26 and Dach playing 12:57.