Different Narrative, Different Outcome
First, nobody gets to go 16-0 en route to a Stanley Cup. You know that. So, too, in their heart of hearts did the LA Kings even though they started this playoff season with two wins at home over arch playoff nemesis Edmonton. That is now official following Edmonton’s 7-4 win in Game 3. We have talked so much about how the first two games of this compelling opening round series represented a stark diversion from history. Whether it was the Kings’ power play prowess or stingy penalty kill or forcing the Oilers to chase games with early leads, this fourth straight playoff meeting between the two teams has followed a different script entirely. Game 3, however, started with a little déjà vu all over again. With the Oilers desperate to avoid falling into an 0-3 series hole they caught the Kings on their heels through the first five or six minutes of the game. They took their first lead of the series when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins found a soft spot in front of Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper and snapped one over Kuemper for a 1-0 lead. Then, another first in the series as playoff star Andrei Kuzmenko got caught interfering with Connor McDavid and the Oilers scored three seconds into the ensuing power play thanks to an Evan Bouchard bomb from the point. Corey Perry provided the perfect screen and while Kuemper indicated he thought Perry had interfered with him the Kings opted not to challenge. More on the world of challenges later. Head coach Jim Hiller admitted he didn’t like the way his team didn’t rise to meet the challenge of weathering that early storm – a storm everyone knew was coming given the desperate circumstances the Oilers found themselves in trailing by two games in the series. Still, if there was one constant in Game 3 it’s that the Kings simply don’t quit. In fact, through the latter stages of the first period and through the second they were as good as the Oilers in almost every facet of the game and in fact led 4-3 with 6:42 left in the game before the script changed dramatically in favor of the Oilers. “We're up 2-1 (in the series), and we played well tonight for a lot of that game. So, we've got to hold our heads high and move on,” offered defenseman Drew Doughty who knows a thing or two about bouncing back from disappointing losses. “We can play from behind. We can play with the lead. We're a good hockey team. We've done it all season, and we believe we can get it done in the playoffs as well. Unfortunately, we didn't tonight. We'll look at some of the things that we did in the third that are probably not right, but we'll also look at a lot of the good things we did and why we had the lead going into the third. So, yeah, we'll review it and forget about it.”
The Defining Moment
I spent some time earlier this playoff year with video coaches Samuel Lee and Cole Lussier. It was a great window onto the process of their jobs but specifically the video challenge and you should go read that story if you haven’t already. On the first close call in the first period my guess is that Kuemper was pretty much at the top of the blue paint of his crease when he made contact with Perry – or Perry made contact with Kuemper. Too close to make a challenge plus there was the situational issue to consider which was if the Kings challenged and the challenge was denied it meant sending the Oilers back to the power play and possibly opening up a three-goal lead in the first. It was an enormous risk so early in the game. Fast forward to the latter stages of the third period and the Kings holding to the aforementioned one-goal lead. During a wild scramble around Kuemper and Evander Kane right on the doorstep the puck found its way into the goal. Officials initially waved off the goal saying it had been kicked. Which it had. But it also touched Kuemper and then Kane got his stick on it so it was a good goal. Game tied 4-4. Then the Kings challenged for goalie interference. It was a tough challenge to make but Hiller said they felt it was worth it. He also acknowledged it cost them big-time. The challenge was denied. Game tied 4-4 and the Oilers went to the power play and scored on their first entry into the zone for the eventual game-winner. “So, it’s a tough stretch for us. There’s no question,” Hiller said. “That’s playoff hockey.”
Power Play, Different But The Same
Can we be very candid when discussing the LA Kings power play in Game 3? It looked a little bit like a dish of dog food. This is a unit that began the game having gone 5-for-10 in the first two games. I spoke to national analyst and long-time NHL netminder Darren Pang after Game 2 and he called the Kings’ power play “frightening”. Maybe not so much in Game 3 as the Kings’ top unit, the five-forward group, looked more than a little disjointed. Passes were muffed and communication seemed off. But did it matter? Uh. No. The Kings went 2-for-2 with Kevin Fiala rescuing a meandering power play with a wicked shot that beat Calvin Pickard high to tie the game 2-2 in the second period. Then, for the second game in a row, the second power play unit delivered. This time it was Drew Doughty ripping a shot late in a second-period power play that briefly gave the Kings a 3-2 lead. The Kings’ are now 7-for-12 on the man advantage in three games. But given another development in Game 3 that proficiency is going to have to remain very high.
Penalty Kill, Different, But Different
As noted, the Oilers did some things in Game 3 they haven’t managed to do in Los Angeles. Yes, winning is one of them. But also scoring first and then getting their power play off the ground for the first time. It’s not like the Kings were undisciplined. They weren’t. They took two minor penalties and the Oilers scored on both making the special teams play a wash. Sort of. The timing of the second Edmonton power play was a killer for the Kings and like the first, came directly after the power play began following the failed challenge. While the first power play goal came off a clean face-off win by Leon Draisaitl and a rocket from Bouchard this was a clean entry into the Kings’ zone by Draisaitl and a nifty pass to Bouchard cutting in from the right and finding the back of the net for the winner. “I've said it I don't know how many times now. They know how we want to kill. We know what they're trying to do,” said Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson. “It's a chess match. They're going to try and make some new plays, change up what they're doing on the fly. We’ve got to try and read it. They made a good play. Unfortunately, we missed a couple sticks and it ends up in your net.”
This And That
In closing a few thoughts. Here’s to Trevor Moore who helped set up the game-winner in the last minute of Game 1 and then looked as though he might have single-handedly given the Kings a third straight win. Fighting off three Oilers Moore cut to the net and with one hand on the stick directed the puck past Calvin Pickard. Outstanding. On the other side of the coin for the first time playoff sensation Andrei Kuzmenko looked just slightly out of sorts. Like going 16-0 to expect Kuzmenko was going to light up the score sheet every night in the playoffs was and is unrealistic. As noted, he took the penalty on McDavid that led to the Oilers’ first power play goal and he was a little lost in coverage on the first Oiler goal. He finished the night minus-4. But you know what? He had company. Captain Anze Kopitar was minus-4 and while that may sting for a bit, maybe an hour or two, I’m guessing Kopitar, en route to the Hockey Hall of Fame when his playing days are done, has learned long ago the ability to park the minus-4 and move on to Game 4 Sunday. It’s been a tough stretch for defenseman Jordan Spence who saw only 2:55 in ice time basically meaning the Kings played with five defenders for the vast majority of the night. That’s because unlike Game 2 when the Kings went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen Hiller went back to a 12 forward, six defenseman model with Trevor Lewis drawing into the fourth line spot in place of Alex Turcotte who has sat the last two games. If I had to guess I would say the Kings go back to 11/7 for Sunday’s game although I’ve never been asked by Hiller for my input on the lineup. Finally, Hiller was asked if he’s concerned that in two games, Games 1 and 3, the Kings allowed a third-period lead slip away. He appears not to be and in fact joked that he heard the question as how excited was he that the team had played well enough to have the lead in the third period. “How excited am I that we’re leading in the third? Is that what I heard?” Hiller said with a smile. “No. I’m pretty happy that we're playing the game well enough, and that we're leading in the third period against a good team. So, I’ll take that. That's the way I look at that situation.”
