Oilers respond to Game 2 loss with dominant 6-1 performance in first matchup in Los Angeles

Despite the heartbreak of Wednesday’s Game 2 loss, the Oilers showed their true grit with a resounding 6-1 victory in Los Angeles. As the series shifted to L.A. for Games 3 and 4, the Oilers, fueled by a deep-rooted rivalry, demonstrated their unwavering determination to succeed.

STUART SKINNER WAS FANTASTIC

On Wednesday night, plagued by a rough night back in Edmonton, all eyes were on Stuart Skinner to see how he’d respond. While some folks thought Skinner was unable to get it together, many of us thought Stu was going to find a way. What was most interesting to me, however, was that a bunch of Oilers fans questioned whether or not he would be able to get the job done. 

In Game 3, Skinner was everything the Oilers needed him to be. He stopped the shot 27 of 28 shots and finished with a .964 save%, effectively erasing the tough scene he found himself after Wednesday’s OT loss. Not only was Skinner calm between the pipes, but he also made the saves the Oilers needed to erase any errors they made and coast their way to a dominant 6-1 win. It was the exact response game that the boys needed from their goaltender, and I can only imagine that confidence will carry over into Game 4 on Sunday. Dare to dream? I do.

DOMINANCE BY THE AWAY SIDE

I don’t think I’m talking out of school when I say that the Oilers were the better team all night long. Yeah, you could point to the fact that our boys outshot the Kings by a 40-28 margin, but that doesn’t really tell the whole story. The Oilers were not only the better team, but there were very few minutes when the Kings were actually to keep up. From my side of the laptop screen, out boys were dominant.

Not only did the Oilers get out to an early lead, but they also removed the spirit most Kings fans had as they watched their team get stomped. If anything, it may have been the most dominating performance that I’ve ever seen against at a team that is supposedly able to lock in the trap. If anything, that was the kind of night that not only Stu needed but the rest of us needed as well. Either way, he gave us the exact kind of defence without being logged into the shared drive. IS THAT CORRECT?

CRYPTO.COM ARENA

For the third straight season, being at Crypto.com Arena has been an intense experience. Kings fans can be a rambunctious bunch, and many of them were not exactly shy about letting us have it for wearing Oilers jerseys. Of course, there are also a bunch of great Kings fans — we met some who were fascinated that we travelled to L.A. for the game — and it’s always interesting to experience the range of fandom when coming to playoff games behind enemy lines. 

The good news is that there were also a tonne of Oilers fans down here. One thing we know all too well is that we travel incredibly well as a fanbase, and that fact was on full display in Game 3. There were blue and orange jerseys everywhere, and it was truly beautiful to witness. I love Oilers fans so damned much, and seeing so many of us down here to support the boys was amazing. Obviously, I don’t think many of us expected the team to run the table the way they did, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive that they did. Frankly, watching a win like that was as close to magic as you can get. Simply buttn, he was famtastoc.

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