Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers scored a 3-1 road win over the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night.
The Oilers are 10-0-1 in their last eleven games. They move a point ahead of the Kings into second in the Pacific Division.
The first period had no goals and only five shots on goal with the Kings outshooting the Oilers 3-2. Adrian Kempe had the best chance but shot wide on a breakaway.
“It was a consistent effort, both games against this group. I’ve never seen a game where shots were 3-2 after the first period. The little things matter,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said.
The Oilers grabbed the lead on a power play with 8:30 left in the second. Draisaitl sent a pass across the high slot to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who snapped his 36th of the season past Pheonix Copley.
“What I really liked was our patience. I also liked our persistence,” said head coach Jay Woodcroft.
“I think if we can play a patient, persistent game it’s going to serve us well going forward.”
The Kings broke through with 9:34 to go in the third when Viktor Arvidsson’s point shot eluded Stuart Skinner. It was the first goal allowed by the Oilers in 171:58.
The Oilers went on the power play not long after and regained the lead when Draisaitl slammed in a loose puck for his 51st of the season with 7:20 remaining. Darnell Nurse put it away with a long range bank shot into an empty net.
Skinner made 20 saves to improve to 26-14-5.
“(Skinner)’s gaining more and more confidence. He’s very mature, has a belief in himself in what he can do. When he was called upon he stood tall for us,” said Woodcroft.
The Oilers, 46-23-9, will visit the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 6 p.m., game at 8 p.m.)
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