Edmonton will try to clinch a playoff spot Saturday night when it meets the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena in its final road game of the regular season. The Oilers can secure that berth with a result in the 8:30 p.m. MT matchup, and they will do it knowing the standings can also tighten their grip on the Pacific Division.
Jason Dickinson will not be available after sustaining a lower-body injury Wednesday, leaving Kris Knoblauch to adjust a lineup that already looked different at Friday’s practice in El Segundo. Connor Ingram, who made 10 saves before being pulled as a precaution in Wednesday’s 5-2 win over San Jose, took part fully in practice, but Knoblauch did not announce a starting goaltender afterward.
Wednesday gave Edmonton a reminder of how dangerous it can be when its top players are rolling. Connor McDavid finished with five points and recorded the 15th hat trick of his career as the Oilers beat the Sharks 5-2, allowing just 14 shots against. The result also steadied a team that had to respond after a difficult showing in Utah in its previous game.
Knoblauch said the focus is simple: win enough to clinch, but keep building the habits that matter when the games become tighter. He said Edmonton has been playing pretty good hockey over the last few weeks and wants that to continue, with an emphasis on playoff-style details, more physical play and sharper defense. He also said that even if the Oilers do clinch on Saturday, the goal is to keep playing the right way through the final games.
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One lineup wrinkle that stood out at practice was the use of Max Jones and Kasperi Kapanen beside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the second line. Knoblauch said Jones has been playing well all year and this is a chance to give him a little more opportunity, while making sure he does not drift from the speed and simplicity that earned him the look. He called that approach a way to get into the forecheck faster and make life harder on the other team.
The setting gives Saturday a little more weight than a normal late-season game. Los Angeles is hosting Edmonton in Anze Kopitar’s final regular-season home game, and the Oilers are trying to leave Southern California with their own goals intact. If they get the result they want, they will return home for their final two games next week with a chance to chase a division title after clinching a playoff spot.
For Edmonton, that is the point of the trip now: take care of business, lock in the postseason and head home with control over what comes next.
