*** 2021-22 Playoffs Opening Round: Los Angeles Kings (P3) at Edmonton Oilers (P2) - (EDM WINS 4-3) ***

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

Regular Season Series:
Oilers won it 3-1-0

Kings make the post season for the first time in the last four years with a mixture of wily vets and up n comers.
Oilers get in for the third straight season, though the last two times, they were early one n dones and look to make better progress this time around.

For some players on the Kings, this could very well be their last run at glory (for sure Dustin Brown who already announced his retirement at season's end), so you know they will be giving everything they have, but it will be Edmonton, who many feel should have been regular post season players for the past several years, who look to make the bigger headlines as Connor McDavid attempts to lead his squad past the first round and beyond.

Any and all Kings vs Oilers series talk, can go right here!

Edited May 15, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[pilldoc]

Love the puck graphics!  Awesome!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I don't often like going with the status quo, and far be it from me to bandwagon right along with the usual media hype, but I believe most talking heads will have the Oilers favored here, and I gotta say, I cannot disagree with them.

Oilers have had too much go wrong for too long, and for sure, they have things they still need working on as a franchise, but at the same time, I have seen this team play championship caliber hockey, then dip down into the doldrums of "Oh yea, it's Edmonton fumbling around again", to flying high once again.

Bottom line is:
I think these Oilers have seen enough to be battle hardened by now, and taking nothing away from some of the been there done that players on the Kings, I think it will make all the difference as the Oilers skate to victory in this set.

I am calling Oilers in 5, as they will surprise many by matching some of the Kings' grinding style, while still taking advantage of the fact they have two of the league's elite (and some other guys who ain't too shabby) on their squad.
Oilers goaltending has been hit n miss, but I think they pull it together long enough to hold the Kings to just one win in the set.

LA will see more playoffs in the coming years if they continue to build on their young core, but this year, they aren't a match for Connor's boys.

[Math]

in 6.

[SaucyJack]

3 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

LA will see more playoffs in the coming years if they continue to build on their young core, but this year, they aren't a match for Connor's boys.

I agree that these LA Things aren’t quite yet the match to burn the Oilers.

[Buffalo Rick]

Edmonton certainly seem a far better team at home  The Kings have that blue line trap that they play well.  Can be dangerous if one of their two goalies, one of which I would like to see in Buffalo, can get hot.  i guess I take Edmonton in 7.

[Math]

Goalies: 

Defense: 

Offense: 

Special teams (PP/PK): 

Coaching: 

Mental: 

Experience: 

Robustness: 

Depth: 

[Trash Queen]

Edmonton has too much offense for the Kings and I think one of the veteran goalies will standout in this series. 

 

Edmonton in 6. 

[Buffalo Rick]

I am picking Edmonton here.  They are tough at home.  The Kings can play defense though. And if they  can  consistently tie up Edmonton at the Blue line, they could pull an upset here. But I am taking Edmonton in 6

[yave1964]

Going oil in five setting up true wcf between Edmonton and the avalanche as both win first and second rounds with ease.

Edited May 2, 2022 by yave1964

[Buffalo Rick]

6 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Going oil in five setting up true wcf between Edmonton and the avalanche as both win first and second rounds with ease.

2nd round with ease? Vs Calgary and St Louis?  What are you smoking? We will see about that

[SaucyJack]

Wow, those LA things had lots of pep in their step that 3rd period, with nary a hitch in their giddy-up.  A deserved upset.  Lots of us in peril with our predictions, now needing an Oiler  

[Brewin Flames]

Would you be at all confident if Mike Smith was your playoff netminder...not me, even with that team in front of him.

[Buffalo Rick]

Here we go again?  Edmonton will have to show up on the road now. Sorry JR.  You must be pissed

[JR Ewing]

5 hours ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Here we go again?  Edmonton will have to show up on the road now. Sorry JR.  You must be pissed

 

No, I wasn't pissed. Disappointed, yes; but not angry. Smith made an extremely unwise decision when he didn't have to at all, and the team was brutally punished for it. I'd run him again in game 2.

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Oilers storm back to basically out-everything the Kings in Game 2.

Is this more or less what we will be seeing from this series, or do the Kings have some more adjustments they could make?

Best of 5 series now that is shifting to LA.
 

[JR Ewing]

13 minutes ago, FireDillabaugh said:

Wasn't anything surprising really.  Smith is a better goaltender than he was in Game 1, and showed that in Game 2.  And LA has absolutely no shot at competing with any of these playoff teams in the West unless Quick stands on his head and is their best player like he was in Game 1.  He was "less than stellar" in Game 2.  Really nothing surprising.

 

Smith's fundamentals were never amazing: he plays very deep and tends to lunge at pucks with his upper body. It was always odd looking. His ability to cut off dump-ins and then make crisp passes really helps the D not spend as much time, and can also completely change the opposition's game plan. The Oilers punished a young Kings blueline by putting pucks into the corner, but the Kings had to respect Smith's ability to play to such an extent that they only attempted the same thing 5 times last night. They were forced to carry the puck through the neutral zone, which Edmonton consistently disrupted.

 

Of those 5 dump-ins:

-2 were on line changes, so had no puck pursuit.

-2 were successfully placed in the corner where Smith couldn't get it.

-1 was played directly to Smith, which he immediately moved to Keith who moved it to Kane for a goal.

 

I don't think it's any kind of accident that Smith consistently gets better goal support than Koskinen.

 

13 minutes ago, FireDillabaugh said:

Edmonton in 5 is the bet to make if you're crazy enough to bet on this sport's games.

 

No thanks. Way too much random noise for me!    lol

 

[Math]

So it's a partial 8-0 so far.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Only got to watch bits n pieces of this game, but seems to me the Kings have very few answers once the Oilers decided they are gonna get their offense on.

Doesn't seem to matter whether its Jonathan Quick or Cal Peterson in net either.

Solid win by EDM for the 2-1 series lead....they get a chance to take a commanding series lead tomorrow in LA before turning the series back to Alberta.

[Buffalo Rick]

On 5/3/2022 at 6:30 PM, JR Ewing said:

 

No, I wasn't pissed. Disappointed, yes; but not angry. Smith made an extremely unwise decision when he didn't have to at all, and the team was brutally punished for it. I'd run him again in game 2.

 

Well things look much better now

[Brewin Flames]

Quick change: Kings rout Oilers 4-0 in Game 4, series even

•  

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

By GREG BEACHAM

AP Sports Writer

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) Jonathan Quick tried to make a couple of his 31 saves without his glove during a masterful performance, Carl Grundstrom scored two third-period goals and the Los Angeles Kings rebounded from back-to-back blowout losses to even their first-round playoff series with a 4-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 on Sunday night.

After Trevor Moore and Troy Stecher scored in the first period, Quick earned his 10th career playoff shutout while the Kings firmly shut down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Los Angeles earned its first playoff victory on home ice since the club raised the Stanley Cup for the second time in 2014.

Mike Smith stopped 42 shots for the Oilers, but McDavid, Draisaitl and Evander Kane all struggled for consistent scoring chances after two games of dominance. Edmonton's frustrations and Los Angeles' exuberance led to several stoppages and near-brawls in the final minutes.

The bad feelings were set off when Grundstrom scored his first career playoff goal while sliding headfirst into Smith and the goalpost with 4:54 to play after getting taken down by Darnell Nurse. Grundstrom added an empty-net goal with 1:31 left.

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Edmonton, with Game 6 back in Los Angeles on Thursday.

After getting humiliated by a combined 14-2 in the previous two games, the Kings again looked like the playoff-worthy team that won Game 1 in Edmonton. The Kings also improved on faceoffs and on special teams, killing all three Oilers power plays after giving up five power-play goals and a short-handed goal in the first three games.

Edmonton only got rolling late in the second period, but its best chances were repelled by Quick, the idiosyncratic goalie with two Stanley Cup rings and ample postseason poise.

During one sequence, Quick lost his glove and still tried to make a save with his bare left hand. Still gloveless moments later, he stopped a point-blank chance with an instinctive flick of his blocker.

McDavid was active in the third period, yet he also took an ill-advised interference penalty next to the Kings' goal with 9:40 to play.

The Kings retained their defensive discipline for most of the third period before Grundstrom muscled in his first career playoff goal. Edmonton challenged the ruling on the play, but lost.

The Oilers' 17 goals in the series' first three games were the most by any playoff team since San Jose did the same in 2014 against the Kings - who rallied to knock out the Sharks in the first round on the way to raising the Cup again. Los Angeles responded to those setbacks with its best defensive performance of the series in Game 4.

The Kings took their first lead since Game 1 when Moore converted a slick pass from Phillip Danault midway through the first period for his second goal of the series. Moore, a Southern California native, got his only previous playoff experience in 2019 with Toronto.

During 4-on-4 play later in the first, Stecher's shot from above the faceoff circle deflected off Duncan Keith's stick blade and went in for the depth defenseman's first goal for the Kings.

In another measure of Los Angeles' early dominance, its 20 shots in the first period were one shy of the most in franchise playoff history.

[Math]

9 hours ago, FireDillabaugh said:

Simple as that.

 

Rick Bowness, get out of this body !

[Buffalo Rick]

What in the devil is going on here?  Can you believe this?  After that 8-2 thrashing the Kings took at home, who saw the Kings coming back and winning the next two?  I sure did not.  Is it the goaltending?  We know that is the one thing the Kings have over Edmonton is goaltending.  Its not really close when you look at the goalies.  But Edmonton has the firepower.  And now they are in big trouble.  One win away from packing it in.  I do not see Edmonton going much farther than this series.  Depending on who they play.  I do not see them beating Colorado, Calgary or St Louis.  Sorry.  They are tough at home for sure but their best game in this series came in LA.  This would be a bit of a surprise if the Kings put them away.  But its far from over I guess.  Now Edmonton must go back to LA and look down the  barrel.  

[Brewin Flames]

Kempe scores in OT, Kings lead Oilers 3-2 in playoff series

 

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 3 hours ago

 

EDMONTON, Alberta -- — Three-point games from Edmonton's stars wasn't enough to save the Oilers. Adrian Kempe's overtime goal moved the Los Angeles Kings within a victory of advancing in the playoffs.

 

Kempe scored 1:12 into overtime to give the Kings a 5-4 win over the Oilers on Tuesday night for a 3-2 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Kempe muscled his way past his defender and wrapped a shot around Edmonton goalie Mike Smith to secure the victory.

 

“There is still a lot to play for,” Kempe said. “We’re obviously very excited where we’re at right now, it was a great win for us and our confidence is good, but we have to rest our mindsets tomorrow. We can enjoy it tonight and play as good as we did tonight at home on Thursday.”

 

The result means the Kings can advance with a victory in Game 6 in Los Angeles on Thursday night. It also means the Oilers need a win to stave off elimination.

 

“They showed their heart in fighting back but we didn’t help ourselves by finding ourselves down early. We have to correct that,” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said.

 

”(We’re) going to L.A. to win one game. Pressure’s on them to close us out and for us, our job is to find a way to have a good start to first period.”

 

Kempe also scored and had an assist for the Kings in regulation. Troy Stecher, Andreas Anthansiou and Phillip Danault also scored.

 

Leon Draisaitl scored twice and had an assist for Edmonton. Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists and Zack Kassian added a goal for the Oilers, who were coming off a 4-0 loss in Game 4 on Sunday.

 

“We found ways to produce offense. And we scored four tonight. That needs to be enough in a playoff game,” McDavid said. “Obviously it’s not. We’ve got to keep the puck out of our net.”

 

Jonathan Quick made 24 saves for the Kings. Smith stopped 38 of 43 shots.

 

“I think at the beginning of the series if someone would have said would you take 2-2 and go into overtime for Game 5, we would have taken it for sure,” Danault said.

 

“That’s what we said when we came (into overtime) and we had a big first shift and then right away in the second shift (Kempe) capitalized. It’s just a great mentality that we have and we wanted to win another game here.”

 

The Oilers entered the third period down 3-1 and used their special teams to claw their way back into the game with two power-play goals and a short-handed score.

 

Edmonton scored the tying goal on another man advantage with 4:52 left in regulation after Danault was called for interference.

 

Collecting a slick pass across the slot from McDavid, Draisaitl hammered a one-timer from the bottom of the faceoff circle for his fifth goal of the playoffs and his second of the game.

 

A four-minute minor set up much of the action in the third after Ryan McLeod was called for a high stick on Matt Roy 9:13 in.

 

The Kings took a 4-2 lead at the 11:06 mark when a backdoor shot from Danault trickled over the goal line.

 

The Kings stayed on the power play, but it was Edmonton who scored next.

 

McDavid drove the net, then sliced a puck into the slot where Alex Iafallo tried to sweep it away, but put it instead on Draisaitl’s tape. He scored to make it 4-3 at the 12:33 mark.

 

A power-play goal from McDavid 2:50 into the third cut the Oilers’ deficit to 3-2.

 

Just three seconds after Blake Lizotte was called for high-sticking, McDavid sent a backhanded shot off the crossbar and over Quick, sprawled in the crease. The goal was the second of the playoffs for the Oilers’ captain.

 

Edmonton was 2 for 3 on the power play. The Kings went 1 for 5.

 

“We do have to watch our sticks and be a little more disciplined going forward here,” Draisaitl said. “We can’t play half the game or quarter of the game short-handed. So it takes a lot of guys out of the game. So we’ll fix it.”

 

A patient play by Athanasiou boosted the Kings’ lead to 3-1 in the middle period.

 

Dustin Brown collided with Zach Hyman in the Oilers’ zone and took off with the puck, slipping a pass to Athanasiou stationed at the side of the net. Athanasiou waited for Smith to dive, then sent a shot into the far corner of the net 13:34 into the second.

 

The Kings regained the lead midway through the second after Kopitar picked off a pass at the Oilers’ blue line. He took a few strides into the Edmonton zone before slicing a pass to Kempe, who nearly lost the puck but reached behind to retrieve it before firing a wrist shot past Smith to make it 2-1 at the 9:29 mark.

 

Kassian temporarily injected some life into the listless Oilers with a goal 2:32 into the second.

 

McDavid picked up a rebound and instead of trying to force it in past Quick, the captain took it around the back of the net and found Kassian, who popped a shot in over defenseman Mikey Anderson lying in the crease for the equalizer.

 

It was the first goal Edmonton scored in four periods.

 

The Kings controlled the shot clock across the first, outshooting the Oilers 16-5, despite Edmonton having the lone power play of the period.

Stecher opened the scoring 3:43 into the game with a slap shot from about the faceoff circle for his second goal of the playoffs

[Buffalo Rick]

How does LA outshoot the Oilers 43-28?  How do the Kings outshoot them 16-5 in first period?  This will be brought up if the Kings can finish them off.  But I do not think it will be easy. And I would not count Edmonton out at all.  Maybe they need their backs against the wall?