LOS ANGELES — It was, as Devon Levi so eloquently stated, “a great bad game.”

The Edmonton Oilers took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, then used their newfound defensive prowess to turn the final 40 minutes into garbage time in a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. The win capped a perfect three-game California swing, and the 5-0-1 Oilers remain the National Hockey League’s only team without a regulation loss this season.

“Honestly, it's pretty impressive how we're able to score ballistically, and also play a really solid defensive game,” said Oilers goalie Devon Levi, who made a career-high 39 saves, most of the casual variety. “I know the message that Babs sent is that we have better. I mean, if that's our bad game, that's a great game.

“That's a great bad game.”

The Kings outshot Edmonton 29-10 over the final two periods, and 40-17 on the game. But somehow L.A. never really threatened the Oilers’ fifth straight regulation win in this young season, despite long stretches of possession.

“I thought they had good chances. But they didn't have Grade A's, two-on-ones,” said head coach Mike Babcock. “I didn't think at any time we were fantastic tonight, but McDavid and the big boys were great. The goalie was fantastic. We just swept three games on the road and 4-0 on the road, so life's good.”

There is definitely something happening here, to a team that has never really had a hard, defensive spine in its regular-season arsenal.

An early 3-0 lead like this always seemed to devolve into a comeback — or........

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