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R1, G2 Preview – Vilardi Is In! Notes On His Return + Series Temperature Rising & OHL Update

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WHO: Los Angeles Kings (1-0) @ Edmonton Oilers (0-1)
WHAT: ROUND 1, GAME 2 – PACIFIC DIVISION SEMIFINALS
WHEN: Monday, April 19 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Rogers Place – Edmonton, AB
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: Bally Sports So-Cal (Local) / ESPN (National) – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: We’re on to Game 2, Insiders! The Kings look to extend their series lead coming off a comeback win in Game 1 on Monday.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Ranging from Game 1 last season to Game 1 this season, the Kings and Oilers have split 12 meetings, with each team winning six times. Forward Anze Kopitar leads the playoff series – and the NHL as a whole – with four points (1-3-4) in this postseason to date, while forward Adrian Kempe buried two goals in the Game 1 victory.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings held a partial-team practice yesterday and held a well-attended optional morning skate today in Edmonton.

The Kings are expected to turn back to goaltender Joonas Korpisalo this evening, after he stopped 37 of the 40 shots he faced in the Game 1 victory. Monday was Korpisalo’s tenth-ever postseason appearance and his .939 save percentage and 1.98 goals-against average rank second amongst NHL goaltenders with 10-or-more playoff appearances over the last five seasons.

There will be at least one change for the Kings tonight, but Game 1 lines are embedded below –

Forward Gabe Vilardi will make his series debut tonight after he missed Game 1 with an upper-body injury. Vilardi has been out of action since late-March. Vilardi appears set to replace forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan in the lineup, though no indication of exactly where he will check in. More on his return below. Forwards Anderson-Dolan, Zack MacEwen and Alex Laferriere, along with defenseman Sean Walker, are all options to play should the Kings opt to make any additional changes.

OILERS VITALS: The Oilers have not lost in regulation in more than a month, dating back into the regular season on March 11.

Edmonton is expected to turn back to goaltender Stuart Skinner this evening for Game 2, coming off of his playoff debut in Game 1 on Monday. Skinner took the defeat in overtime as he made 31 saves on 35 shots.

A look at Edmonton’s lineup from Game 1, for reference –

Oilers forward Mattias Janmark did not skate this morning for “maintenance reasons”, per Head Coach Jay Woodcroft. Forward Leon Draisaitl led the Oilers with two goals in Game 1. The German forward has seven goals from eight career playoff games against the Kings. Draisaitl became the third-fastest player in NHL history to reach 60 playoff points behind Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Notes –
Game 1 -> Game 2
The intensity will rise, Insiders.

The Kings know it because they’ve lived it. Last season, the Kings skated to an encouraging 4-3 victory in Game 1 of the series in Edmonton. The Game 2 that followed was a 6-0 defeat. The intensity, the pace and the overall series elevated between Games 1 and 2. By their own admission, the Kings were not ready for that shift. Before Game 1, the lead-in feature story pertained to experience and how the Kings can benefit from what they gained a season ago. This is a part of that process.

“If we learned any lessons from last year, we know the temperature of the series or the intensity of the series, the execution of the series goes up game by game,” Todd McLellan said. “I’ve been asked about experience and that’s experience, putting it into play, being ready to play game two and applying it.”

His message has certainly resonated with the group, many of whom were a part of that defeat in Game 2 a season ago.

The Kings surprised in Game 1 externally last season, as they did on Monday evening, though it wasn’t a surprise within the room. What was a surprise was the direction of Game 2, which saw Edmonton in full control in a commanding victory. The Kings, if nothing else, won’t be surprised this season. They understand that everything will go up a notch tonight from where it was in Game 1.

“That’s something that we know is going to happen, they know it too, it makes this series fun,” defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “You come back for Game 2 and it’s going to ramp up even more and the same for the games going forward. Something I don’t think we did a great job of last year, so it’s something we want to focus on and be ready for this time.”

There was a difference in how Game 1 went this year versus last year. The Kings never trailed in Game 1 a season ago, while they played their way back from behind 48 hours ago, eventually finding the game-winning goal in overtime. The Kings have put Game 1 behind them, so obviously last year’s Game 1 is well in the rearview mirror.

The lessons learned, though, are ones that are top of mind.

“You can’t let off the gas pedal at all,” forward Blake Lizotte added this morning. “I think learning from that experience is keeping the foot on the gas and treating this game like it’s our last and treating every game like it’s our last going forward.”

The other factor to consider is that last season didn’t just happen to the Kings, but to the Oilers as well. The primary focus is on what the Kings are doing, because that’s all they can control, but McLellan was quick to reference that it’s more than just the LA side when it comes to experience.

“We also have to remember that our opponent gained a lot of experience from Game 1 to Game 2 as well,” he added. “So, if you let your guard down and you think you’re ready to go, they’ll certainly make you pay. I’m counting on us having that experience and understanding that, but it doesn’t guarantee that things are going to go your way.”

Gabe’s Good To Go
Will the LA Kings make a L1N3UP change? The answer is a confirmed yes!

Forward Gabe Vilardi will check in for his first game of the series. Vilardi missed Game 1 with an upper-body injury, which has cost him every game since a 7-6 victory over St. Louis on March 26. Vilardi has been skating on his own for some time now, progressing to the full group in a non-contact jersey before the team departed for Edmonton. Now, with a full skate under his belt, it’s about everything being in order for his return to action.

“Just making sure I’m getting in contact drills, getting my heart rate up and doing that consistently,” Vilardi said of final steps. “When I do get back, obviously I haven’t played in a while, I’m going to be a little bit rough, but you want to limit how rusty you are.”

Vilardi is not a playoff rookie, as he skated in two games a season ago in the seven-game series against the Oilers. While it was a different role – he skated on the fourth line, averaging less than ten minutes per game – he still has a reference point, which ties into the notion of experience that the Kings have gained from last year’s series.

“I think just feeling the atmosphere,” Vilardi said, of his biggest takeaway from last year’s series. “Last year I didn’t play much, but just being on the bench and obviously the excitement around the playoffs, especially after last night’s game, there’s a lot of hype right now.”

What Vilardi brings for the Kings this year is much different.

He had a breakout season with 23 goals, tied for the third most on the Kings roster. Vilardi has been one of the Kings’ best stories throughout the course of the season, from the first day of training camp on. He’s been a transformed player since the day camp began as he worked himself from the fringes of the roster, to an opening-night player and a top-nine forward.

There are a few options for reintegrating Vilardi, who has familiarity playing with Blake Lizotte and Alex Iafallo. He could also start out on the fourth line, where he was slotted in the last time he returned from injury. Todd McLellan said he’ll “let you figure that out” as it pertains to his placement in the lineup, so we’ll know for sure come warmups.

Vilardi had formed a nice line with Iafallo and Lizotte before his injury forced that line to be split up. In just over 135 minutes together at 5-on-5, the line was on the ice for eight goals for, compared to just one against. Possession metrics were great as well, controlling more than 55 percent of shot attempts and 55 percent of scoring chances. An option should McLellan and the Kings look in that direction.

While we’re not guaranteed of anything as it pertains to Vilardi, it’s just exciting to see him back at this stage and on the verge of a lineup return.

OHL Update
Lastly Insdiers, a quick check in on the East Coast, as prospects Brandt Clarke and Francesco Pinelli continue their respective playoff series in the Ontario Hockey League.

Clarke and the Barrie Colts currently lead their best-of-seven, second-round series by a 2-1 margin, while Pinelli’s Kitchener Rangers currently trail their matchup by a 3-1 margin. Clarke leads all players with 20 points from eight postseason contests, while Pinelli is the only player in the league with multiple shorthanded goals, as he’s buried three, and he’s scored at over a point-per-game pace in the postseason. Both players continue their series tomorrow evening, with Game 4 for Clarke and Game 5 for Pinelli.

For tonight, though, it’s the Kings and the Oilers at 7 PM Pacific at Rogers Place in Edmonton!

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