Skinner Leads Oilers to Victory Over Kings, Oilers on the Brink of Playoff Advancement

Monday, April 29th, 2024

While Connor McDavid often garners attention for the Edmonton Oilers, it was goaltender Stuart Skinner who grabbed the limelight this past Sunday, nudging the team closer to the next round in the NHL playoffs. Skinner's exceptional performance, stopping all 33 shots he faced, was pivotal in the Oilers' narrow 1-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings during the fourth game of the series.

This standout game by Skinner is recorded as the eighth playoff shutout in the Oilers' history, marking his inaugural post-season shutout. This comes after Mike Smith's pair of shutouts in the first round against the Kings in 2022. Despite the Kings having a substantial shots on goal lead of 33-13, Edmonton leveraged their special teams to bridge the difference.

The Oilers made the most out of their single opportunity on the power play thanks to Evan Bouchard, who netted his initial goal of the series, giving Edmonton the lead. On the other hand, the Kings couldn't capitalize on any of their 11 opportunities with a man advantage, notably forming the only team in the playoffs this season to not score under such conditions.

With only 13 shots throughout the game, the Oilers matched their own record for the least number of shots in a playoff game, and remarkably, for the least in a victory. This rare feat, winning with 13 or fewer shots, has been achieved only 11 times since 1974, and interestingly, twice this year.

Goalkeeper David Rittich, playing for the Kings, recorded 12 saves, while Matt Roy missed a crucial chance to score in the second period. This culminated in growing frustration for the Kings, as they continually missed significant scoring opportunities.

The Oilers' game-changing power-play goal was scored merely 63 seconds into the second period, courtesy of a collaboration between McDavid and Bouchard, with Mc

Los Angeles Kings vs Edmonton Oilers Game Stats

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