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"Wasn't an Oil Painting": Oilers Grind Out 4-1 Win, for California Road Sweep
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- "Wasn't an Oil Painting": Oilers Grind Out 4-1 Win, for California Road Sweep
Connor McDavid marked his 800th NHL game in style, scoring four points as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on Tuesday, capping a perfect three-game California road trip and extending their win streak to five.
McDavid now leads the league with 17 points in just six games. Still, the Oilers captain understood that Tuesday night's win wasn't an "oil painting" and that the team can be better.
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"It's a hard-working group," McDavid said . "It wasn't an oil painting tonight for sure, but Dev did a great job of holding us in there. We got off to a good start and kind of held that all the way through. It wasn't the prettiest for 40 there, but a win's a win. It's a good road trip and we're in a nice spot."
Edmonton jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Kings pushed back as the Oilers started turning the puck over. Head coach Mike Babcock acknowledged that the game wasn't pretty, and they certainly weren't fantastic at any time, but he was pleased with the result and the goaltending. Noting that lines two, three, and four weren't as good as they have been, Babcock said he could see a push from the Kings after Edmonton got its early lead. However, he credited the big guys and the goaltending.
"We just swept three games on the road; we're 4-0 on the road. Life's good."
Saying he likes where the team is at despite being tested by injuries, Babcock is excited about the fact that the Oilers will be getting some guys back and the Oilers will be much deeper.
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Goaltender Devon Levi was a big reason for the win, stopping a career-high 38 shots. McDavid pointed to Levi's calming presence and said he consistently makes timely saves, which he called "half the battle in goaltending." The captain also acknowledged the team could be better in front of its netminder.
Levi credited his teammates for the support. "I thought the guys played a heck of a game in front of me," he said, noting that they boxed out opponents, limited tips on screened shots, and gave him a clear lane to see the puck.
Vasily Podkolzin finished with two goals, extending his career-best point streak to six games. He's got seven goals on the season already.
The Oilers now head home to regroup and get healthy before returning to action on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. It will be one of the Oilers' bigger tests as the Mammoth are humming.
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Can Edmonton keep it rolling? If they play Utah the way they did in the second and third periods of Tuesday's game, it could be a long night.
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