By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo: (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Connor McDavid scored the only goal on his 28th birthday, and Stuart Skinner recorded his second shutout of the season, recording 30 saves, as the Edmonton Oilers silenced the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 on Tuesday night.
The Oilers and Kings know each other very well. Both teams have faced each other in the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, and the Oilers won all three of them.
This game felt like another playoff game. Instead, it was the regular season, and it was one game. Kings are an outstanding team. So are the Oilers. That makes this rivalry so exciting because both teams play great offense and bring out the best in each other.
McDavid scored the goal in the second period during a 4-on-4 at 18:37. Leon Draisaitl extended his point streak to three games (two goals, three assists).
The goalies from both teams made several big stops. Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves for the Kings. His only mistake was giving up the goal to McDavid.
The Kings had chances to tie the game. They took several good shots to the net, but Skinner had it going on; there was no way he would let his team down, especially on McDavid’s birthday. Oilers missed opportunities for an empty net but managed to hang on for the victory.
We should see a Kings/Oilers playoff series for the fourth consecutive year. The fans would want that. Two talented teams can run to the Stanley Cup Finals if they stay healthy and make the proper in-game adjustments.
The Oilers improve to 27-13. Kings fall to 24-12. The Oilers will travel to Minnesota to take on the Wild on Wednesday. The Kings will head to Vancouver for a matchup against the Canucks on Thursday.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports and @themmmjournal, LinkedIn: The MMM Journal, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina