Oilers & Skinner Need Bounce-Back Performance vs. Kings in Game 3

In Game 3, the Oilers can’t get ahead of themselves. They must support the defence and break out the right way. Another habit the Oilers get themselves into at times is unnecessary pinches. A prime example was Cody Ceci on the game-winning goal in overtime. He stepped up on Quinton Byfield in the neutral zone, but the puck was deflected ahead to Kopitar. Darnell Nurse lost his gap, and it resulted in a breakaway goal. You can’t make a risky pinch like that in overtime if you’re Ceci.

The Oilers reduced these mistakes under Kris Knoblauch after their rush defence turned to chaos early on in the regular season, but Ceci and Nurse still occasionally have issues with this type of play. Heading into Game 3, the D-core needs to get back to making simple plays in the neutral zone instead of risky plays.

Stuart Skinner Seeks Redemption

Stuart Skinner surpassed all expectations last season, going from backup to NHL All-Star as a rookie. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to carry this impressive level of play into the postseason, and it was one of the contributing factors in the Oilers’ second-round exit against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Skinner was yanked four times in the 2023 Playoffs, and according to Evolving Hockey, he allowed nearly seven goals above expected in his 12 starts. He has already conceded 3.25 more goals than expected in the first two games of this series, and the Oilers will need him to be better for a deep run.

Bad luck has certainly played a role in this series so far for Skinner. Two goals came off the skates of Oilers defencemen and one off a giveaway thanks to a broken stick. He had no chance to make the save in any of those cases. In Game 2, however, the Kings beat him clean high on the glove side multiple times, and Drew Doughty slipped one past him on a breakaway despite losing control of the puck. Skinner failed to consistently make the big saves for his team in critical moments in last season’s playoffs. This time, he needs to string together some quality starts. Game 3 will be an opportunity for him to silence the critics right away and deliver a stellar bounce-back performance.

Oilers Look to Continue Special Teams Success 

One of the most significant mismatches of this series is the Oilers decided advantage in special teams. Through two games, the Oilers are perfect on the penalty kill, and their electric power play has scored on four out of seven opportunities.

Special teams were a huge reason behind Edmonton’s success on home ice this season. They went 32.8% on the power play and 86.3% on the penalty kill at Rogers Place in the regular season. On the road, they dropped to 20.5% on the power play and 73.8% on the penalty kill. They’ll look to carry over the same creativity and execution we saw in Games 1 and 2 on the road in Los Angeles. Consistently winning the special teams battle both at home and on the road could be the difference for the Oilers in this series. It was a significant factor the last couple of times these teams met in the playoffs.

Oilers Must Keep Their Composure

Nobody said it was going to be easy. Losing Game 2 was a bump in the road, but the Oilers can pick up a massive win on the road and retake control of the series. This team has historically responded well after a loss in the playoffs. I suspect we will see a sharper and more focused group for Game 3.