The Los Angeles Kings looked on the way to eliminating the Edmonton Oilers for the first time in their four straight first-round series. They’re now on the brink of going home empty again.
The rollercoaster affair had the Kings winning the first two games and leading in Game 3 before the Oilers stormed back to win that night and the next two games,including a 3-1 victory Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
While some people may see one bad coach’s challenge as a turning point in this matchup, the Kings have only a series of blown leads to blame for where they are in the series at the moment.
Without a doubt, Kings coach Jim Hiller coach’s challenge for goaltender interference on Evander Kane’s equalizer in Game 3 was not a good look. The review quickly determined the goal would stand, and the resulting penalty led directly to the game-winning goal being scored on the Oilers’ power play. That’s not up for debate.
That’s not the reason why Los Angeles dropped three games in a row. The key issue for the Kings is that they’ve deviated from their strong regular-season play when they knew how to hang onto their leads.
The Kings were 25-4-3 this season when leading after the first period, and they were even more impressive when leading after two periods at 35-1-2.
But in the first round, Los Angeles is 2-1 when leading after 20 minutes, and they’re 2-2 when leading after two periods. They’re already two-thirds of the way to their blown third-period leads in the regular season.
When you break down the games even further, you’ll see the Kings constantly squandering advantages they managed to carve out.
In Game 3 on Friday, the Kings overcame a 2-0 Oilers lead, scoring three straight goals before Edmonton tied it. Los Angeles again took the lead late in the second period, only to allow the final three goals of the game.
In Game 4 on Sunday, the Kings built a two-goal lead – and after the Oilers cut the lead in half, L.A. restored its two-goal advantage, only to allow the next three goals to Edmonton, including the overtime-winner. And finally, in Game 5, the Kings scored the first goal, then allowed two straight Oilers goals, plus an empty-netter.
Clearly, one bad coach’s challenge is not responsible for L.A. blowing leads time and again. A lost coach’s challenge didn’t help matters, of course. But that’s in one game only.
The Kings’ defensive deficiencies are the real culprit here. And to be sure, Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper isn’t the goat, although his 3.44 GAA and .899 SP aren’t moving the needle in a positive way for his team. It’s the defense in front of Kuemper that’s the root cause of three straight defeats.
In the first two games of this series, the Kings’ offense was the difference in their favor, posting six goals in both games. But Los Angeles has messed around by trying to run-and-gun with Edmonton’s high-octane offensive attack, and they’ve found out that’s not a great idea.
As it stands, L.A. is on the brink of elimination – and once again, the team could be heading home for the summer courtesy of an Oilers team it knows all too well. The stakes are sky-high for them now, as one loss in the next two games could spell the end of the line for Kings GM Rob Blake and could lead to roster changes this summer. You can’t keep running back the same core, lose in the first round four straight seasons to the same team and expect to keep your job.
Ultimately, the Kings can’t say they didn’t know how to build a lead against Edmonton. They just didn’t know how to hold one. And consequently, they’re on the verge of exiting the playoffs and becoming a gigantic disappointment yet again.
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