GDT: 2023-24 Western Conference Quarter Finals LA Kings vs Edmonton Oilers 4/28/24 EDM leads 2-1

[alphahelix]

I’m an oilers fan, just sayin’: the doom and gloom in here is extremely familiar to me. We have often been bad, even when we were supposed to be good.

Every time we match up against the Kings I’m worried. The Kings are a good team, full stop. It’s hard to believe the Oilers managed to win last night with McDavid completely contained again. Theres a bunch of 1 shot scorers on the Kings like Kempe and I always assume they’re going to be good for a dagger out of nowhere. Feels a bit lucky to escape last night with a W. (what has happened to Fiala?)

I wont bother with the obvious (like, maybe patience would have been a better option than the pld trade). But I’ll just say it seems like this Kings team would have been good enough to win some series over the last couple years if things had lined up differently. I have a soft spot for em, 1 or 2 isolated incidents aside.

 

[jtalton]

I’m an oilers fan, just sayin’: the doom and gloom in here is extremely familiar to me. We have often been bad, even when we were supposed to be good.

Every time we match up against the Kings I’m worried. The Kings are a good team, full stop. It’s hard to believe the Oilers managed to win last night with McDavid completely contained again. Theres a bunch of 1 shot scorers on the Kings like Kempe and I always assume they’re going to be good for a dagger out of nowhere. Feels a bit lucky to escape last night with a W. (what has happened to Fiala?)

I wont bother with the obvious (like, maybe patience would have been a better option than the pld trade). But I’ll just say it seems like this Kings team would have been good enough to win some series over the last couple years if things had lined up differently. I have a soft spot for em, 1 or 2 isolated incidents aside.

i am asking in all honesty what "incidents" are you talking about? I have been watching the kings forever and ever thing with the oilers has been mild. I wish the kings had been more physical with the oilers, they have been soft compared to our successful teams

 

[BigKing]

Played the first period tonight that they needed to play on Friday night. Too little, too late as it usually has been since pulling it out in the nick of time in 2014.

Fiala trade looking like a disaster again because the argument of never winning anything with him during his prime production years gains more steam.

What can you say about the PLD trade/contract that hasn't been said? It's just a job ending move and Blake can't be allowed to stay. It's almost like Blake didn't care if he had the job next season when making the PLD acquisition.

 

[kingsfan28]

We didn't get swept and we're not the Leafs. #thebrightside.

 

[BigBrown]

We didn't get swept and we're not the Leafs. #thebrightside.

I mean at least the Leafs have at least won one playoff series in the last decade, unlike the Kings. Hate to say it.

 

[KingsHockey24]

Jordan Spence, PLD, Viktor Arvidsson, Arthur Kaliyev, Cam Talbot, Matt Roy, Trevor Lewis, and Carl Grundstrom all need to go in the Summer.

As far as I'm concerned we have :

Byfield - Kopitar - Kempe
Moore - Danault - X
Fiala - Lizotte - X
X - X - Laferriere
(Akil Thomas, Samuel Fagemo, Alex Turcotte)


Anderson - Doughty
Gavrikov - X
Englund - X
(Brandt Clarke)

X
Rittich

 

[jtalton]

Jordan Spence, PLD, Viktor Arvidsson, Arthur Kaliyev, Cam Talbot, Matt Roy, Trevor Lewis, and Carl Grundstrom all need to go in the Summer.

As far as I'm concerned we have :

Byfield - Kopitar - Kempe
Moore - Danault - X
Fiala - Lizotte - X
X - X - Laferriere
(Akil Thomas, Samuel Fagemo, Alex Turcotte)


Anderson - Doughty
Gavrikov - X
Englund - X
(Brandt Clarke)

X
Rittich

really you call out Spence and not Lizotte and Gavrikov? You even take Englund over Spence?

 

[KingsHockey24]

really you call out Spence and not Lizotte and Gavrikov? You even take Englund over Spence?

Spence is nothing special.

People are just horny over him the same way they were LaDue.

 

[DoktorJeep]

We didn't get swept and we're not the Leafs. #thebrightside.

Gonna be tons of respect in the handshake line come Wednesday night.

 

[BigBrown]

Spence is nothing special.

People are just horny over him the same way they were LaDue.

This was only his first full NHL season, I think he will continue to improve for a couple more years. Should be a keeper. Martinez didn't look very good in his first season and he became a stud. I'm not saying he's Brian Leetch but I think he'll be a solid d-man for years.

 

[ru4reals]

Jordan Spence, PLD, Viktor Arvidsson, Arthur Kaliyev, Cam Talbot, Matt Roy, Trevor Lewis, and Carl Grundstrom all need to go in the Summer.

As far as I'm concerned we have :

Byfield - Kopitar - Kempe
Moore - Danault - X
Fiala - Lizotte - X
X - X - Laferriere
(Akil Thomas, Samuel Fagemo, Alex Turcotte)


Anderson - Doughty
Gavrikov - X
Englund - X
(Brandt Clarke)

X
Rittich

Please add this guy to the list. And if he's still centering Fiala the new coach needs to be canned as well.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Funny enough until the last 5 min that was the best game LA has played in ages. Aggressive, hitting everything that moved, they had the arena rocking...just couldn't pop one to blow the top off and we knew what was coming when the PP came. If they give that effort every night instead of backing off and ineffectively shelling up and maybe they're not in this predicament and we're not calling the entire organization a bunch of cowards.

Then again, sitting Byfield for the last 5 min and playing PLD is definitely a choice. Maybe they're just trying to get some guys their last minutes in a Kings jersey or something because the inexplicable decisions continue.

Also have to love them shitting their pants over HAVING to play LHD-RHD to justify Englund in the lineup and sitting Clarke then going to Doughty-Spence when they need some offense...if only there was some offense on the bench somewhere...

please just hurry up and kill me

 

[alphahelix]

i am asking in all honesty what "incidents" are you talking about? I have been watching the kings forever and ever thing with the oilers has been mild. I wish the kings had been more physical with the oilers, they have been soft compared to our successful teams

Obviously not getting into it here, and nothing this year, but safe to say the Draisaitl injury was not well received in Edmonton, we’d be getting into the weeds beyond that

Nothing like Pietrangelo two handing Drai after the game with minimal consequences though

 

[LAKings88]

I’m so tired of the Oilers matchup. It just exposes all the weakness of the Kings.

I’m not sure it gets better going forward.

I’m guessing they let go of the UFAs and replace them with Ontario guys next year due to cap issues alone.

Team is just mid.

At least we had 12-14

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Some major unexpected disappointments to add to the usual suspects

Unexpected

Arvidsson--I kind of want to give him a pass as he's running off mostly adrenaline after being gone most of the season but what a no show. Not a total liability, but no finish.

Moore--hopefully he's hurt because he's practically invisible, if anything he just looks like Lizotte but pumping his legs less.

Roy--Didn't expect much offense but also didn't expect his defense to kind of fall off a cliff. Getting exposed everywhere. Kid year?

Gavrikov--was never the same after the knee injury but a LOT of no-reason coughed up pucks and he isn't exactly agile enough to recover. We're basically only getting good hockey out of Spence and inconsistent hockey but good relative to matchup out of Doughty and Anderson (our new rush guy apparently)


Expected

Fiala--he's ALWAYS been a playoff no show but jesus christ it's not even a matter of stupid golden retreiver mistakes it's basically looking like nerves and shot confidence

PLD--i mean maybe it's even worse than expected but who outside the organization didn't see this coming

Talbot--all respect for him, I don't hate the guy, but it was really clear he was toast LAST month, and the insistence on riding him was an old-school decision that I can understand but totally disagree with.

 

[Bandit]

I haven't watched more than 2 periods of any game thus far but Gavrikov has been the real surprise for me. Just flat out bad. Moore to a lesser degree but at least he's not flat out giving it to McDavid, he's just invisible.

 

[Master Yoda]

Every captain in Kings history save Dustin Brown is a failed captain thus far because only Brown won the cup, but we’ve never even won a playoff series in Kopitar’s tenure, as crazy as that sounds. I’m not pinning these roster woes on Kopitar but that doesn’t change the outcomes for him unfortunately. He deserved better.

Matty Norstrom when he was being honored a few years back said he didn't know why the fans loved him so much because the teams he led never did anything.
That man definitely deserved better.

 

[DoktorJeep]

I don’t think the Kings played their best game of the series, it felt more like the Oilers allowed them to play their preferred brand of hockey.

In game three, the Oilers won by being more physical. Last night, it was like their game plan was to play shut it down hockey. They’re sending the message that they can beat the Kings in any fashion they choose.

Their top six forwards and top four D all played more minutes last night than in the game three 6-1 blowout. McDavid and Draisatl each played around 18 minutes that night. But last night they were closer to 21 minutes each.

All their top guys got around 2-3 more minutes last night and the bulk of the game was 5v5. They’re saying to the Kings that the idea of Kopitar and Danault shutting down McDavid and Draisatl isn’t the matchup you think it is.

The Kings had an opportunity to get the matchup with last change. But they stuck to their philosophy and we saw what happened. Not having the last change next game is a problem, but they need to try and get their best players out against the Oilers bottom six.

For example, coming off a PK, assuming you find a way to be successful, maybe save Kopitar and Kempe for the next even strength shift. Because you know the Oilers big guns play the whole two minutes if they fail to score.

 

[Sausages]

Kopitar is a failed captain.

Love the player and the man, but not as a C.

 

[Sausages]

I noti

Biggest disappointments of the series for me:
Gavrikov, Moore and Arvidsson.
P.S. Mediocre goalies and bad coaches are not disappointments.
It is team design issues.

I've noticed that the Oilers really smother our smaller players and render them ineffective.

Those are the guys that fire the engine for the Kings. Big problem.

Moore, Fiala, Lizotte and Arvidsson have just had no space and time.

As always, IMHO.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

Gavrikov has played like ass

but next game, the logical thing to do is to scratch PLD & Englund and have Thomas and Clarke play




*and yes you can have two RDs on the same line, YOU might not be able to play LD as an RD, but a professional can

 

[chris kontos]

I thought Fiala was brought in to fill a need.

the need must have been comedy relief

 

[chris kontos]

peak playoff pld
i want to see the line of laferriere-pld-lewis

 

[jtalton]

Spence is nothing special.

People are just horny over him the same way they were LaDue.

you wrote lizzote in and you call another player nothing special
I agree to disagree then

 

[Schrute farms]

Obviously not getting into it here, and nothing this year, but safe to say the Draisaitl injury was not well received in Edmonton, we’d be getting into the weeds beyond that

Nothing like Pietrangelo two handing Drai after the game with minimal consequences though

Wow, the lack of self-awareness WRT Draisaitl is rich. It's like a pig being mad at the mud for getting him dirty.