OilersNation has reported:

The Edmonton Oilers can complete a sweep of their road trip against divisional opponents when they face the winless Los Angeles Kings. Edmonton is 4-0-1 and the NHL’s last team without a regulation loss, giving it an early advantage in the Pacific Division. The game concludes a stretch of six straight contests against division rivals.

The Oilers have been getting production from their top line while the rest of the team plays a structured game. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin have an 80 per cent share of expected goals in 53 minutes together at five-on-five, and have outscored opponents 8-0 in that time. In the recent game against San Jose, two other Edmonton lines also contributed offensively, while the Sharks managed only two high-danger chances at five-on-five.

“Everyone’s feeling good,” defenceman Evan Bouchard said after Monday’s practice. Bouchard is tied for the NHL lead with six goals, none scored on the power play. He said the Oilers have started well by sticking to their details and recognize that opening up their game can create problems.

“I think we’re playing detailed hockey. You can see when we play the right way, we’re a hard team to beat. You see, if we open things up, it can get a little dicey. But all in all, I think we’ve had a great start,” Bouchard said.

Head coach Mike Babcock has emphasized continued development and a set of non-negotiable standards. He said the team should focus less on individual errors and more on effort and attention to detail.

“It’s a game of mistakes,” Babcock said. “Mistakes happen all the time. We don’t spend a whole lot of time worrying about the mistakes as much as if you’re not working, if you’re not detail-oriented.”

Bouchard’s start has been markedly better than his opening to last season. He said players should accept that errors happen, while limiting them and staying in good positions.

“You don’t grip your stick as tight,” he said. “I think everyone knows there’s going to be mistakes in a game. As long as we limit those mistakes, and we’re in good spots. Those mistakes shouldn’t matter too much.”

Los Angeles is trying to end its worst start in franchise history. The Kings are 0-2-2, the same winless record as the Los Angeles Chargers, who lost to the Denver Broncos to fall to 0-5. The Oilers went to SoFi Stadium on Sunday to watch the Chargers game.

The Kings have been keeping most of their games close, with three one-goal losses apart from an 8-4 opening-night defeat to Colorado. They are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. Goaltender Darcy Kuemper said the team is frustrated by losing.

“We’re competitors in here. We hate losing, and we want to win,” Kuemper said after the game.

Los Angeles has a recent history of playing beyond regulation. Last season, the Kings set an NHL record by taking 33 of their 82 regular-season games to overtime. They went 13-20 in games decided after 60 minutes and are 0-2 in overtime this season.

Veteran forward Scott Laughton said the Kings have shown effective stretches but have not done enough to win. They need to become more cohesive, spend longer in the offensive zone and make opponents work harder, he said.

“We’ve had good stretches, for sure, but it’s definitely not good enough,” Laughton said after Monday’s practice. “I mean, you have to win hockey games, and you want to get off to a good start, but it’s hard right now too.

“We have to find a way here. It’s a big game tomorrow. Just get one on the board and continue to roll here. It’s been good for stretches, but we need to be more cohesive in our game; spend more time in the offensive zone and make it harder on them.”

The Kings have played the fewest games in the league but have scored a league-low four goals at five-on-five. Their offensive group has also been hit by injuries: Mats Zuccarello and Alex Turcotte have both been placed on injured reserve. Artemi Panarin is the only King with more than one goal, leading the team with three goals and four points.

Kuemper said the team needs to channel the frustration of its start into better play. If Los Angeles does not win against Edmonton, its next chance will come Saturday against Boston.

“We got to use that fuel the right way,” Kuemper said. “Not going on our own pages, but use it as motivation to find that extra gear and extra level out to be difference-makers out there and find wins.”

McDavid is set to play his 800th regular-season game with Edmonton. He recently moved into seventh place on the Oilers’ all-time games-played list and leads the NHL with three goals and 13 points, his best start to a season.

Babcock described the captain as a proud player who supports his teammates and leads through his example. He said the team is working to help McDavid succeed.

“He’s a proud guy, who’s a really good teammate, who is pushing the guys by example every day,” Babcock said. “He wants to have success. And so we’re trying to help him with that process.”

Bouchard also praised McDavid’s leadership and influence on his development.

“There’s not enough things to say about Davo,” Bouchard said. “He’s a leader on and off the ice. What he’s accomplished already in his his career is special. He’s played a big role in my my growth, my confidence on the ice.”

Edmonton’s lineup has some injury and availability questions. Zach Hyman has not played since the second game against the Canucks, nearly two weeks ago. Babcock said Hyman would decide whether he is available, and would play if he is. Mattias Ekholm took a maintenance day, but there was little concern about whether he would be in the lineup.

Shakir Mukhamadullin returned to the lineup and played 11 minutes, 18 seconds, recording three hits. There was no update on Monday about whether Jake Walman would return, but Babcock was pleased with the young defenceman’s performance.

“It was great. I thought he boxed out well. I thought he moved the puck well. You know, my biggest indicator is that there was no fires when he was on the ice,” Babcock said.

Devon Levi was in the starter’s net at practice. He has allowed three goals across his last two starts, none at five-on-five. Overall this season, Edmonton has outscored opponents 17-10 at five-on-five. Podkolzin has scored five goals in five games, already accounting for 10 per cent of his career total.

The Oilers have scored three power-play goals and two short-handed goals, leaving their power play with only one more goal than their penalty kill. Los Angeles’ penalty kill is among the few with a lower percentage than Edmonton’s this season, at 56.3 per cent. Edmonton ranks third in faceoff percentage at 54.4 per cent, helped by Owen Michaels, who won 11 of 13 draws against San Jose.

The Kings’ projected line combinations at Monday’s practice were Panarin with Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe; Alex Laferriere with Erik Haula and Corey Perry; Trevor Moore with Scott Laughton and Joel Armia; and Lee with Helenius and Wright. The defensive pairs were rotated through practice.

Peter Laviolette, now coaching his seventh NHL team, has a career record of 846-564-25-163. Kevin Fiala skated alone before practice and remains some distance from returning from an injury suffered at the Olympics.

The last time Edmonton and Los Angeles met, DJ Smith was behind the Kings’ bench as interim coach, and Los Angeles won 1-0. The Kings took the 2025-26 season series 2-1, while the Oilers have won five of the teams’ last seven meetings.