McDavid, Draisaitl’s gaping absence, no depth scoring, and more: 3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers were shut out 3-0 by LA Kings

The Edmonton Oilers were on the wrong end of a 3-0 shutout at the hands of the LA Kings in what was a preview of the team’s first-round playoff series on Saturday afternoon at the Crypto.com Arena. The Kings scored twice in the second period, then added an empty-netter late in the third period to ice the win.

Kevin Fiala scored his 30th of the season for the LA Kings, with Andrei Kuzmenko and Trevor Lewis (EN) getting the other tallies for the Kings. Meanwhile, Calvin Pickard made 26 saves in the losing effort for the Edmonton Oilers.

So, let’s take a look at the three main reasons why the Edmonton Oilers were shut out on Saturday night at the hands of the LA Kings.

3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers were shut out by LA Kings

#3 Anemic power play

The Edmonton Oilers could not make the most of their lone power-play opportunity against the Kings. The Oilers got a shot with the man advantage early in the second period when the game was still scoreless.

Unfortunately for the Oilers, they did not score. A couple of minutes later, the Kings opened the scoring. Had the Oilers scored on their lone power-play opportunity, the game’s complexion could have been much different.

Instead, the Oilers faced a deficit, which led them to chase the game the rest of the way. They were unable to turn things around and ultimately failed to find the equalizer.

#2 No depth scoring

Given the absence of the Edmonton Oilers’ two biggest stars, other key players failed to step up. Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jeff Skinner could not generate any significant scoring chances despite getting 27 shots on goal.

Other depth players like Corey Perry and Viktor Arvidsson were largely nonfactors in the game. Moving forward, the Oilers will need more support from their depth as the team heads into the postseason.

#1 McDavid, Draisaitl’s gaping absence

The Oilers played without captain Connor McDavid and leading scorer Leon Draisaitl once again on Saturday afternoon. Their absence has left a gaping hole in the team’s lineup. Without McDavid driving plays or Draisaitl scoring goals, the Oilers’ offense has been listless.

While the club deserves credit for playing a tough defensive game against the Kings, McDavid and Draisaitl’s absence prevented the Oilers from getting any sort of significant offensive output.

The Oilers will be back in action on Monday night as they take on the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center, with Edmonton looking to get back into the win column.