Connor McDavid scored in the second period and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 for their second straight win.

EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid scored the only goal on his 28th birthday, and Stuart Skinner made 30 saves for the Edmonton Oilers in a 1-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Place on Monday. It was McDavid’s 72nd game-winning goal, tying Glenn Anderson for the most in franchise history.

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The Kings and Oilers have been the top-two teams in the League over the last six-and-a-half weeks based on win percentage, with LA edging the Oilers out by only three hundredths (.777 vs. .775) while playing two fewer games since Nov. 27.

Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, for slew-footing Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid during Monday night’s game.

When two teams have played each other 31 times over the last three years and three months of this season, does familiarity breed contempt? “Nah, it’s always fun…what gets old is all the meetings before the games.

The Edmonton Oilers are finding themselves in a bind with forward Jeff Skinner, taking up $3M of cap space yet not being used in the lineup at all. The last three games in a row, the Oilers have scratched the 32-year-old veteran of over 1,000 games. A trade seems like the only path forward for Skinner.

The Los Angeles Kings head into the third of a five-game road trip against the Edmonton Oilers. This is the second-of-four meetings between these two clubs this season. The Kings won their first matchup back on December 28th,

The Edmonton Oilers know how to win. And they know how to beat the Los Angeles Kings. This group has always been comfortable in a wide-open game, but the past few seasons they have learned how to be comfortable in a tight-checking,

The Kings were the last NHL team to reach the midpoint of their season. Let's grade every player's contributions so far.

"Los Angeles' Adrian Kempe has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slew-footing Edmonton's Connor McDavid," the NHL Department of Player Safety announced on X on Tuesday. More NHL: Flames' Rasmus Andersson Throws Shade at Oilers, Canucks While Discussing Potential Trade Rumors

Connor McDavid scores the decisive goal on his 28th birthday & Stuart Skinner secures the 30-save shutout on Monday to give the Oilers two points in a 1-0 victory over the Kings at Rogers Place