EDMONTON — Seven… Six… 5…
The Edmonton Oilers blew up the Los Angeles Kings for the third yr in a row, in faster style than the yr earlier than that, and the yr earlier than that.
And whereas we anticipate the Kings to dynamite all the pieces from their entrance workplace to that grotesque 1-3-1 defensive system that’s as ineffective as it’s soul crushing, the Oilers will put their collective ft up, open a chilly one on Friday night time, and watch Vancouver attempt to shut out Nashville.
The winner of that collection will meet the Oilers in Spherical 2.
For the third season in a row, Edmonton rolls into the second spherical, this time on the heels of a five-game collection win and a 4-3 closing sport by which the Oilers’ particular groups bludgeoned L.A. into their summer season.
“It’s a reasonably easy write up on this one, I feel,” instructed Kings head coach Jim Hiller to a room stuffed with writers. “You noticed one crew execute, and one crew not, on particular groups.”
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Edmonton’s energy play went nine-for-20 within the collection, and scored two extra objectives in Recreation 5 that got here three and 4 seconds after a Kings penalty had expired. However earlier than you name the Oilers a bunch of power-play retailers, additionally they didn’t permit a single objective on this collection on 12 Kings energy performs, a real signal of a crew that has corrected itself over time.
“I feel we’re in all probability a greater crew this yr than we had been final yr or the yr earlier than,” stated Leon Draisaitl, who had two objectives in Recreation 5. “We’re extra mature, which performs an enormous half typically.”
There are moments in any collection the place momentum can flip. The place an underdog can discover the boldness that fuels an upset.
On this annual tete a tete nonetheless, the Oilers stomped out each potential fireplace whereas it was nonetheless an ember, whereas coping with a couple of overtly unhealthy breaks that ended up of their internet. They by no means actually misplaced management of the collection, and as such, gained in a useful 5 video games.
“I believed there have been a number of totally different conditions,” acknowledged Connor McDavid, who was medical, with a objective and 11 apples within the collection. “We get off to a great begin (Recreation 1), sort of give momentum away (shedding Recreation 2), however we had been in a position to get it again and I feel that reveals some progress.
“For us, discovering a option to stack some video games, get it to 3-1 and end off the collection in Recreation 5, that’s an enormous step for our group. Plenty of good indicators, however it’s just one collection.”
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In the event that they handed out a collection MVP it could go to Draisaitl, who was pretty much as good offensively (5-5-10) as he was defensively. His work these previous 5 video games was nothing lower than a grasp class in playoff hockey.
When the massive German units his thoughts to enjoying a 200-foot sport, his sport is Bealiveau-like. “Probably the greatest gamers on the planet,” McDavid stated.
Draisaitl was an absolute horse in a Recreation 4, 1-0 win, and opened Recreation 5 with a dutiful strip of Pierre-Luc Dubois, simply because the struggling King was fixing to deal a puck on an odd-man rush. Then he scored two objectives, and would have added an empty netter had he not been hauled down, the penalty that ended the Kings’ night time.
“He doesn’t get sufficient credit score for defensive play, whether or not it’s within the common season or the playoffs,” stated head coach Kris Knoblauch. “He’s good at it.”
“I feel over time you simply be taught that these issues are typically extra necessary in playoff hockey than scoring on the ability play or no matter it might be,” stated Draisaitl, who’s 28 and proper in his prime as an NHL participant. “I take large satisfaction in defending. Generally it will get away from you a bit of, however when it issues most, I take pleasure in it. Our entire group has performed a extremely good job of defending, of doing it the appropriate manner.”
In 18 playoff video games towards Los Angeles over the past three years, Draisaitl has 17 objectives and 30 factors. That’s a objective a sport by means of three separate Spherical 1’s, whereas performing high defensive duties as nicely.
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McDavid and Draisaitl had been, as predicted, higher on this collection than their counterparts, the nice Anze Kopitar and sidekick Phillip Danault. Edmonton’s depth forwards bested the Kings’ depth forwards, and in objective, Stuart Skinner allowed 4 objectives within the remaining three video games of the collection — one a bounce off a stanchion that left him chanceless behind his internet.
Skinner was infinitely higher than the L.A. tandem of Cam Talbot and David Rittich.
“We misplaced to them for the third yr in a row and it simply sucks proper now,” Kopitar stated. “I imply, it doesn’t matter. You’re out of the playoffs regardless who beats you, however positively not an excellent feeling getting the worst of it three years in a row.
“The underside line is we’ve obtained to get the job performed on the penalty kill and we didn’t do it all through the 5 video games. It wasn’t simply tonight.”
Ultimately, the Oilers greatest gamers are of their primes, whereas Doughty, Kopitar and Danualt — whereas nonetheless wonderful gamers — are previous theirs, and never surrounded with pretty much as good a roster as Edmonton has.
They might play this collection three extra occasions and Edmonton would win ‘em all. It’s unhappy, however true.
“It’s tremendous irritating,” stated Doughty, as he stripped down for one remaining time in his sixteenth NHL season. “I imply, I don’t actually have all of the solutions for you on what’s lacking.
“We in all probability simply wanted some extra guys to step up, play higher.”
