The Los Angeles Kings were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers, losing 6-4 in Game 6 of the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round on Thursday.
It was the fourth consecutive season the Kings have lost to the Oilers in the opening round of the playoffs.
Los Angeles (48-25-9), the No. 2 seed in the Pacific Division, qualified for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season but has not advanced beyond the first round since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014.
The Kings took a 2-0 lead in the series but lost the next four games by a combined score of 20-12. They held third-period leads in Game 3 (4-3) and Game 4 (3-1), only to lose each.
Los Angeles was eliminated by Edmonton in five games last season, in six games in 2023 and in seven games in 2022.
The skinny
Potential unrestricted free agents: Andrei Kuzmenko, F; Tanner Jeannot, F; Trevor Lewis, F; Vladislav Gavrikov, D; David Rittich, G, Pheonix Copley, G.
Potential restricted free agents: Alex Laferriere, F.
Potential 2025 Draft picks: 7
Here are five reasons the Kings were eliminated:
1. Depth shortage
The Kings primarily played nine forwards and four defensemen during the series, and it caught up to them, particularly after going into overtime in Game 4 and losing 4-3. Defenseman Drew Doughty, 35, averaged a Kings-high 27:12 of ice time per game in the series. Mikey Anderson (25:25), Joel Edmundson (23:14) and Vladislav Gavrikov (21:00) also logged heavy minutes, with defensemen Brandt Clarke (12:47), Jordan Spence (7:31), and Jacob Moverare (2:31) each used sparingly. The fourth line, consisting of a combination of Alex Turcotte (5:44), Jeff Malott (4:53), Trevor Lewis (4:10), and Samuel Helenius (3:58) through the series, rarely saw the ice.
2. Burying the lead
Los Angeles did a good job of building leads going into the third period, but could not hold them. The Kings nearly blew a 4-1 lead in the third period of Game 1 -- after being up 4-0 late in the second -- but forward Phillip Danault scored at 19:18 of the third to pull out a 6-5 win, 46 seconds after Oilers captain Connor McDavid tied it 5-5. That should have been a warning call to Los Angeles, but it still was unable to hold a 4-3 lead in the third period of a 7-4 loss in Game 3, and a 3-1 lead in Game 4, losing 4-3 in overtime. The Kings also scored first in Games 5 and 6, but ultimately lost each.
3. Questionable challenge
The turning point of the series may have come on a coach’s challenge in Game 3, after Edmonton forward Evander Kane scored to tie it 4-4 at 13:18 of the third period. The goal was reviewed to see if Kane kicked the puck into the net on a scramble in front. The officials ruled Kane did kick the puck but went on to sweep it with his stick under goalie Darcy Kuemper. Kings coach Jim Hiller then challenged for goaltender interference, believing Kuemper had been impeded by Kane prior to the goal. The play was reviewed and the goal stood. Los Angeles was assessed a minor penalty for a failed challenge and defenseman Evan Bouchard scored 10 seconds into the ensuing power play to give the Oilers a 5-4 lead in an eventual 7-4 victory.
4. Special, then not
The Kings were 5-for-10 on the power play through the first two games of the series and scored two more goals with the man-advantage in Game 3. The penalty kill was perfect through the first two games as well, which contributed to a 2-0 series lead. But things began to turn in Game 3, when Edmonton scored two power-play goals in a 7-4 win and then added two more in a 4-3 overtime win in Game 4. Los Angeles went 1-for-8 with the man-advantage in the final three games of the series, and lost all three.
5. Oil slicked
Los Angeles traditionally has struggled against Edmonton in the playoffs, going 2-9 all time. Prior to losing four straight best-of-7 series, the Kings lost five of the previous seven series against the Oilers. Edmonton defeated Los Angeles on its way to winning the Stanley Cup in 1985, 1987 and 1990. The Oilers also eliminated the Kings in 1991 and 1992. The last time Los Angeles defeated Edmonton in the playoffs was in the second round in 1989, led by Wayne Gretzky, who had been traded from the Oilers to the Kings the previous summer. The Kings also upset Gretzky and the Oilers in 1982 with Daryl Evans scoring the overtime winner in Game 3 of the best-of-5 series to cap a 5-0 third-period comeback known as the Miracle on Manchester, in reference to game taking place at the The Great Western Forum, located on Manchester Boulevard in Inglewood, California.
