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Oilers vs Kings Round 1 Game 3 |
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The Edmonton Oilers had every opportunity to go ahead in the series 2-0 but now find themselves tied as we start Game 3 in LA. The past two series against these teams have gone into LA tied 1-1 and have also ended with LA winning Game 3. Tonight we will see if history repeats itself.
Plenty being made over the past couple days of the play of Stuart Skinner. Once again in Game 2 there were a few weird bounces that ended up going into the net but Skinner still wasn't good enough. Talbot made a huge save at the end of the second period to keep the game tied. Edmonton didn't get a save like that from their own netminder.
It's too early to panic on the goaltending and history has shown us that Skinner bounces back after a rough start. Both he and the Oilers need to play a complete road game to win in LA tonight.
On a positive note, Dylan Holloway came to play in Game 2, scoring his first and second career playoff goals to get the Oilers right back into the game. Excellent work for a guy getting fourth line minutes right now. Kulak also got onto the board for the Oilers. It certainly is frustrating to see the Oilers get 3 goals from their supporting cast and not find a way to win.
Bouchard wasn't sharp enough on the first goal against as his pass was picked off but I have a bigger issue with Warren Foegele who asked for the pass and completely blew the zone. It was a giveaway by Bouch but Foegele flying the zone and not being back to defend on the proceeding rush was a far more egregious mistake.
It looks like the coach is going to go back to the same lineup but I would be tempted to go with the hot hand and get Holloway up on the Draisaitl line. That second line has done absolutely nothing in either game of the series and is struggling to produce any quality chances. If Holloway was bumped up than Foegele could be dropped down to the fourth line.
Still waiting for Corey Perry to have a positive playoff impact. The third line has created some decent chances but you cannot take 2 different unforced penalties in the same game, you just can't.
In Game 2 the LA Kings were far more aggressive and attacked the Oilers in a different way than we have typically seen. The 1-3-1 defensive zone was still there but they were far more comfortable skating with the Oilers. That is something the team will need to adjust to and should force Edmonton to play a bit more cautious. Many of the mistakes in Game 2 were a result of impatient plays. Trying to force a pass or blowing the zone because you are expecting the puck to go the other way.
It's now a best of 5 and the Oilers need to swing momentum back their way. As we have said many times when these two teams play; if the Oilers play their best hockey than they are better than the Kings at their best. It all depends on if Edmonton is willing to sacrifice it all to be their best.
Thanks for reading!
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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