Edmonton @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 6, 2019 ) Los Angeles 1, Edmonton 2

The Edmonton Oilers have done a good job of keeping their heads above water the past six games without superstar forward Connor McDavid as they’ve skated to a 3-2-1 mark. Edmonton is expected to have its captain back in the lineup Sunday when it opens a three-game road trip against the Los Angeles Kings.

The Oilers are coming off a pair of disappointing home performances with a 2-1 overtime loss to Boston on Wednesday followed by a 5-3 setback to Minnesota on Friday, and will need a healthy McDavid if they hope to maintain their three-point cushion in the Western Conference playoff race. “A little boost like that would be good for us right now,” Edmonton coach Dave Tippett told reporters Saturday. “We’ve been scratching and clawing here. If we can add a player like that to your lineup it just adds a whole other dimension to our team.” The Kings are the only team in the Western Conference without a shootout victory this season as they fell 2-1 in the extra session Friday to the Avalanche - the only other West team who had previously not registered a shootout win. Left wing Austin Wagner scored the Kings only goal on a penalty shot in the first period Saturday after being interfered with by Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadarov as the 22-year-old has two goals in his last five games since ending a 22-game goal drought.

TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: FS West, Sportsnet West

ABOUT THE OILERS (32-22-7): Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has registered three goals and six assists in McDavid’s absence and with a pair of markers Friday, became the 13th player in team history with 20 career multi-goal performances. Leon Draisaitl added a goal and an assist against the Wild and raised his league-leading point total to 97 - eight shy of his career-high from a season ago with 21 games remaining. Mike Smith has cemented himself as the starting goaltender with his play since the beginning of the calendar year as he’s produced a 9-1-3 record, .920 save percentage and a 2.58 goals against average.

ABOUT THE KINGS (22-34-6): The Kings averaging the third-most shots per game in the NHL (33.9) and tied for second-fewest shots against (29.4) and were outshot 31-21 against the Avalanche. Center Anze Kopitar saw a four-game streak of recording two assists in each contest end Saturday but the captain leads the team with 38 helpers and 55 points. Goaltender Jonathan Quick saw his two-game win streak end despite stopping 30-of-31 shots Saturday and is expected to hand the crease over Sunday to Calvin Petersen, who on Tuesday allowed five goals during a 6-3 setback to the Jets.

OVERTIME

1. Edmonton is 0-8-3 when Draisaitl fails to find the scoresheet and 32-14-4 when he does.

2. The Kings are in a stretch when they play 14 of their next 15 games at home.

3. Nugent-Hopkins has 24 points in his last 19 games after it took him 36 contests to record his first 24.

PREDICTION: Oilers 4, Kings 2