5 takeaways from the LA Kings 3-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers

The LA Kings had to feel lucky to leave Utah with a win after struggling the first two periods before pulling away in the third period. They returned to Crypto.com Arena in a big game with major playoff implications against the Edmonton Oilers and they could not afford to have a slow start.

The Oilers undoubtedly entered this game short-handed as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl would be out due to injuries. However, the Kings know this is a game they couldn't take lightly and had one of their better performances of the season.

It was a pretty even matchup between the two teams in the first period but in the second the LA Kings took over and would have a 2-0 lead heading into the third with goals by Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko. They continued to be in control for most of the third period before Trevor Lewis closed it out with an empty-net goal.

The win on Saturday is a big one for the LA Kings as they now have built a four point lead in the standings over the Edmonton Oilers. If that holds, they have guaranteed themselves home ice advantage whether they finish in second or catch the Vegas Golden Knights for the Pacific Division.

These are some of the takeaways from the 3-0 shutout win by the LA Kings over the Edmonton Oilers.

Jordan Spence returns to the LA Kings lineup

The last time the LA Kings were on the ice was Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club and they made an unexpected lineup change right before the game. After participating in warm-ups, Jordan Spence would be replaced by Jacob Moverare, and head coach Jim Hiller didn't provide much explanation after the game.

Whatever the reason, it was only for one game as Jordan Spence was back on the ice and the Kings were back to their 12-6 alignment. However, Spence's ice time still appears to be limited as he would have the least amount of ice time among the defensemen with just over 14 minutes against the Oilers.

Jeff Malott almost had his first career NHL goal

While Spence was back, the Kings were still without Alex Turcotte and Tanner Jeannot, who have been dealing with some injuries from last week. The Kings called up Jeff Malott from the Ontario Reign and he has certainly made the most of his opportunity with the Kings.

The game against the Oilers would be his sixth straight game with the Kings and it looked like he would have his first career NHL goal with this highlight move.

Unfortunately, the goal would be waived off after it was reviewed and determined that Samuel Helenius was actually offside. It may not have counted but was a beautiful goal by Malott.

Kevin Fiala joins Adrian Kempe with 30 goals on the season

After the goal by Jeff Malott was waived off, the game remained tied at zero until Kevin Fiala was able to beat Calvin Pickard for the first goal of the game. The goal by Fiala would be his 30th of the season and he joined teammate Adrian Kempe as the second Kings player to have 30 or more goals.

This is the first time since the 2007-08 season that the LA Kings have had two players with 30 or more goals in the same season. That season it would be Dustin Brown leading the Kings in goals with 33 and Anze Kopitar close behind him with 32 goals.

Darcy Kuemper continues to be incredible for the LA Kings

One of the biggest stories this season for the LA Kings has to be the performance of Darcy Kuemper, who has been one of the best goalies in the NHL. He continued to show that on Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers as he earned his fifth shutout of the season and has now gone 13 straight games allowing two or fewer goals in each game.

The win today and allowing fewer than two goals has put him in elite company as he is only the sixth goal in the NHL since the 1959-60 season to have a streak like this go 13 or more games.

If Darcy Kuemper continues to play like this he can absolutely be a difference maker for the LA Kings that can help them make a run in the NHL playoffs.

Power play struggles for the LA Kings

It is sometimes hard to find things to be concerned about in games like these where the LA Kings were seemingly in control from start to finish. However, one area that has to be a concern, especially against the Oilers, was the struggles on the power play.

They would end up having four power play opportunities in this game but were not able to capitalize on any. The good news was that they had their chances as they would record eight power play shots but weren't able to finish any off for goals.

The reason this is a concern against the Oilers was that in the playoff series last year the Kings really struggled on power play. They would have no power play goals in the five games while the Oilers had nine.

It is something that might be a concern if the two teams meet again, especially if the games are closer with a returning Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.