Series Talk: [P2] Los Angeles Kings Vs [P3] Edmonton Oilers (LA Leads 2-0)

[Connor MethDavid]

Imagine putting up 4 ES points in regulation and having your team still lose the game. Are they expecting McDavid to also play D and goalie?

 

[VivaLasVegas]

Stu Skinner gets a lot of criticism, much of it deserved, but there was one LAK goal last night where four (five?) Oiler players got stuck behind the net leaving the crease wide open.

Most of the game the Oilers' defense was a total gong show, only helped by the Kings quite stupidly taking their foot off the pedal in the third period and playing some just awful shutdown (it wasn't) defense.

The absence of Mattias Ekholm is the whole difference here.

 

[EpochLink]

McDavid put the team on his back in that third period, only to lose by a flutter puck his goaltender couldn't stop.

You can imagine how pissed he was after the game.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

I'm more confident today we can beat the Kings than before Game 1, despite the heartbreaker of a loss
the Oilers had absolutely NOTHING going for 39 minutes of that game, looked like they've never played together and had LA cruised to 4-1 win, my confidence would have taken a bigger hit
but the Oilers put 5 past the defensively strong Kings in their barn...just need Bouchard to locate his brain and goaltending to make a big save or two
the loss of Ekholm was evident on the game-winner


in any case, Oilers are 3-11 in Game 1s in the McDrai era so hopefully this is just following the trend

I mean...yes....but no...Kings also stopped playing in the 3rd, started watching, made stupid mistakes etc, I expect both sides to clean it up.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

I mean...yes....but no...Kings also stopped playing in the 3rd, started watching, made stupid mistakes etc, I expect both sides to clean it up.

and the Oilers didn't start playing until they were down 4-0...the shots were 17-12 Kings after 2 periods

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

and the Oilers didn't start playing until they were down 4-0...the shots were 17-12 Kings after 2 periods

Exactly, Oilers started playing as the Kings stopped playing......both sides have shit to clean up.

 

[Summer Rose]

Stu Skinner gets a lot of criticism, much of it deserved, but there was one LAK goal last night where four (five?) Oiler players got stuck behind the net leaving the crease wide open.

Most of the game the Oilers' defense was a total gong show, only helped by the Kings quite stupidly taking their foot off the pedal in the third period and playing some just awful shutdown (it wasn't) defense.

The absence of Mattias Ekholm is the whole difference here.

Was that the goal where there wasn't just one Kings player wide open in the slot, there were two of them? They seemed to both go for the puck simultaneously, but scored anyway. Bold defensive strategy there, maybe they were hoping that by leaving two guys open in the slot they would accidentally play defense against each other?

 

[Zerotonine]

Another comical storyline is all 3 stars of the game were awarded to kings players

 

[PuckG]

Hey Kings, don't take your foot off the gas, even if you're up by 4 goals. Two of the best players in the world can erase that in no time.

Yeah, Skinner crapped the bed again. Yeah, Bouchard continues to give away free pizzas. And what the hell is everybody on the Oil doing (except for McDrai) out there? Standing still waiting for the big guns it seems.

So what does the Oil brain trust do now? Go back with Stu? Bring in Pickard? Like there's no risk with him...?

Pass the lorazepam around to all their 2nd tier fans.

We need something way stronger than lorazepam the way this thing is going.

Besides that, if there’s any chance of making a run - we have to survive this round and then hope Ekholm is healthy enough to play.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Another comical storyline is all 3 stars of the game were awarded to kings players

Stuart Skinner should've been their first star of the game.

 

[Summer Rose]

Another comical storyline is all 3 stars of the game were awarded to kings players

In fairness it's the home team's media that picks the stars of the game and they're obviously biased towards members of the home team.

On the other hand you'd think they would have at least given a star to a guy who scored 4 points.

 

[Three On Zero]

Another comical storyline is all 3 stars of the game were awarded to kings players

That’s pretty standard

 

[Mr Nogatco]

I'm still livid that they didn't do what was required to acquire him.

Gibson said he didn’t want to share the net with skinner, idk how you bring in a guy who’s dictating his usage before he’s even on the team

 

[Cup Or Bust]

I'm more confident today we can beat the Kings than before Game 1, despite the heartbreaker of a loss
the Oilers had absolutely NOTHING going for 39 minutes of that game, looked like they've never played together and had LA cruised to 4-1 win, my confidence would have taken a bigger hit
but the Oilers put 5 past the defensively strong Kings in their barn...just need Bouchard to locate his brain and goaltending to make a big save or two
the loss of Ekholm was evident on the game-winner


in any case, Oilers are 3-11 in Game 1s in the McDrai era so hopefully this is just following the trend

I think L.A.'s performance in the game is heavily overrated. They were better then the Oilers the first half of the game but they were not creating many quality chances or getting much time in the offensive zone either. The difference was the powerplay. Neither team was creating much and the Oilers were flatter then my spare tire when I tried to use it recently. Last night looked very similar to the type of wins LA have had against the Oilers in the previous 3 playoff series. I expect one of the teams to pick up their game and that will be the team that wins this series, neither team played good enough to expect to win the series based on how they played last night.

 

[Zerotonine]

Stuart Skinner should've been their first star of the game.

For the kings 100 percent

 

[Fripp]

I'm more confident today we can beat the Kings than before Game 1, despite the heartbreaker of a loss
the Oilers had absolutely NOTHING going for 39 minutes of that game, looked like they've never played together and had LA cruised to 4-1 win, my confidence would have taken a bigger hit
but the Oilers put 5 past the defensively strong Kings in their barn...just need Bouchard to locate his brain and goaltending to make a big save or two
the loss of Ekholm was evident on the game-winner


in any case, Oilers are 3-11 in Game 1s in the McDrai era so hopefully this is just following the trend

I am too, and I'm a Kings fan. And the Oilers players should be. Kings can't be too happy about the win - be extremely concerned that they haven't, in four years, figured out how to even slightly contain McDavid for 60 minutes.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think L.A.'s performance in the game is heavily overrated. They were better then the Oilers the first half of the game but they were not creating many quality chances or getting much time in the offensive zone either. The difference was the powerplay. Neither team was creating much and the Oilers were flatter then my spare tire when I tried to use it recently. Last night looked very similar to the type of wins LA have had against the Oilers in the previous 3 playoff series. I expect one of the teams to pick up their game and that will be the team that wins this series, neither team played good enough to expect to win the series based on how they played last night.

I tend to agree BUT the Kings sorting out their special teams is kind of a huge storyline given past series

If they can even remotely get that throughout the series that changes everything because over the last several years McDavid doing McDavid things nonwithstanding ES play has been pretty even

Have to also imagine Darcy Kuemper shows up too, that was literally his 2nd worst game as a King.

 

[Shellz]

Both of these teams suck. Oilers are just lucky they have Mcdavid and Kings have…. the harmonica band.

 

[bucks_oil]

I don't get the Skinner hate for this game. Almost every goal the Kings player was alone in front of the net.

Oiler fans will always go to "Skinner cost us the game", but the reality is their team defense sucks.

I mean, if you go to HFOil, 80% of them think the biggest reason for the Oilers issues is the Goaltending Coach.

Get rid of him and they have multiple Cups. But apparently he's a nepo hire of Katz???

Skinner is never "great", but he's not the reason they lost tonight. Leaving Kings wide open in the slot is why they lost.

They miss Ekholm.

I don't understand it either.

That loss was a team loss, with a glaring structural lack of slot coverage. That coupled with some HUGE giveaways and lackadaisical defending from Bouchard.... you know, the guy that wants to get paid this summer (which we'll probably do and have still less money available for an upgrade in goal). That's just what we do.

Skinner was completely meh... kinda exactly what you'd expect for a $2.8M goalie. Keumper, at more than double the price, wasn't any better either... I actually think worse (that RVH on McDavid's goal was total weak sauce, and unlike a flukey, screened knuckle-puck, it was entirely his choice to mis-use the most mis-used move in the modern goalie handbook... ugh... I HATE RVH). They both couldn't make a big save.

But you can't talk about goaltending with any objectivity on the Oilers site right now... people are incredibly frustrated and need an easy villain.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

Imagine the best player in the world putting up a biblical performance and your starting goalie shits his pants with 45 seconds to go.

If I'm Skinner, I'm getting undressed in the janitor's closet and not going anywhere near McDavid.

 

[BenningHurtsMySoul]

I am too, and I'm a Kings fan. And the Oilers players should be. Kings can't be too happy about the win - be extremely concerned that they haven't, in four years, figured out how to even slightly contain McDavid for 60 minutes.

That's what makes him a generational talent though, nobody can stop him. His biggest enemy is his mental load from having an awful goalie and staying healthy. You can only try to slow him down.

 

[Orfieus]

Do you realize how long he and McDavid were on the ice before that? Around 5 minutes.

That was on Knoblauch for keeping them out right after they tied it up.

I did not but when he realized he needed to back check he found the energy, it was just too late

 

[SaltyElkHunter]

Oilers in 5 although it will in reality be a 5 games sweep because they really were the winners of Game 1 the league just imported some Cali reffing and robbed the most deserving franchise in the history of sports the April 21, 2025 the world deserved to see.

 

[Three On Zero]

That's what makes him a generational talent though, nobody can stop him. His biggest enemy is his mental load from having an awful goalie and staying healthy. You can only try to slow him down.

The thing with McDavid is his conditioning is unreal, the guy can play two periods of hockey and yet still find a new level in the 3rd.

He gives 70-80% when the opposition goes 100%, then when they are gassed he jumps to his 100%

Once he starts losing that conditioning/explosiveness, his game is likely going to drop off drastically though.

 

[22Brad Park]

Imagine putting up 4 ES points in regulation and having your team still lose the game. Are they expecting McDavid to also play D and goalie?

McDavid was only +1 though