A duel between rivals from the Pacific section
Two great rivals from the Pacific Division will face off as the Los Angeles Kings take on the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place (9:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNW, FDSNW).
The Oilers (26-13-3) have defeated the Kings (24-11-5) in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. Los Angeles won the first duel between the two teams this season by a score of 4-3 in overtime on December 28.
This victory was the first of five in a row for the Californian team, which saw this happy streak end on Saturday with a 2-1 defeat against the Calgary Flames.
Warren Foegele will return to Edmonton, having spent the last three seasons in an Oilers uniform. The forward has 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 40 games this season and ranks second on his team with a +19 differential.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid celebrates his 28th birthday today having collected 1,040 points (351 goals, 689 assists) in 684 games. This is the third best offensive performance before the age of 28, tied with Steve Yzerman (757 games), in NHL history. Only Wayne Gretzky (1773 points) and Mario Lemieux (1174 points) did better than McDavid in this category.
The Oilers are back at home after four consecutive games on opposing ice. They have won five of their last six games.
