Column: Resurgent Kings still might fail vs. Connor McDavid and Oilers in a playoff rematch
If this was a playoff preview, the Kings’ postseason journey won’t last long. And it might not be through any fault of their own.
The Kings and Edmonton switched spots in the Pacific Division on Tuesday, with the Oilers moving up to second and dropping the Kings to third on the strength of a 3-1 victory at Crypto.com Arena. Two goals from the NHL’s most potent power play and a surprisingly sound checking game did the trick for the Oilers and ended an 11-0-2 home point streak for the Kings, who have scored one goal in their last two games against the team they’re slotted to play when the playoffs begin the week of April 17.
That’s hardly a happy prospect for the Kings, who made upgrades in goal and on defense this season when they acquired Joonas Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov, but still might not be good enough to stop Connor McDavid, the NHL’s scoring leader, Leon Draisaitl, who scored his league-leading 31st power play goal Tuesday and company.
Adrian Kempe could be the first King to score 40 goals in a season since Luc Robitaille in 1993-94. He has 36 goals with eight games remaining.
The Oilers are the first team ever to have four players each score at least 15 power-play goals in a season, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins reaching that mark at 11:30 of the second period Tuesday for Edmonton’s first goal. Stop one power-play threat and a bunch of others pop up, trapping opponents in a futile game of whack-a-mole. They lead the NHL with a 32.7% success rate.
In addition, and maybe the worst news for the Kings, the Oilers have found dependable goaltending in Stuart Skinner, who was 10-1-1 in March. Going into its game Wednesday at Anaheim, Edmonton had won five straight and was on a 10-0-1 streak, an impressive way to prepare for the playoffs.
“They’re very skilled and they’re playing a heavy game and it’s all defensive right now,” Kings defenseman Sean Walker said, “and that’s something we’re going to have to focus on and find a way to crack and beat them.”
The Kings were missing creative forwards Kevin Fiala and Gabe Vilardi, and steady defensemen Mikey Anderson and Alex Edler, which hurts. But they went into the playoffs last spring against Edmonton without Walker, fellow defenseman Drew Doughty and winger Viktor Arvidsson, and still managed to push the Oilers to seven games. As the playoffs approach, coaches and general managers who are normally reluctant to discuss injuries become especially tight-lipped, and coach Todd McLellan declined to provide an update on the current injured players. On Wednesday, the Kings recalled defenseman Jordan Spence.
Asked if the Kings might gain confidence from playing the Oilers close despite missing so many key players, McLellan gave an interesting response. “That could be the case if we meet them in the playoffs or whoever we play in the playoffs. We could be without those guys and three more,” he said. “So it really doesn’t matter.
“The lesson we learned last year is it doesn’t matter who’s out. It matters who’s in.”
Special teams play matters a lot, too, and the Kings on Tuesday were unable to capitalize on four power plays and allowed Edmonton to score on two of four advantages.
The Edmonton Oilers jumped into second place in the Pacific Division with a 3-1 victory over the Kings on Tuesday in a pivotal game for playoff seeding.
The Kings had a well-timed power play at 11:51 of the second period, 21 seconds after Nugent-Hopkins had given the Oilers a 1-0 lead, but they couldn’t capitalize. Arvidsson brought the Kings even at 1-1 on a blast from the blue line that eluded a screened Skinner at 10:26 of the third period but Arvidsson took a slashing penalty 33 seconds later and the Oilers regained the lead on Draisaitl’s shot from close range.
“The timing of penalties comes into play a little bit, too,” McLellan said. “We just get some energy and some traction and then we’re going back to the box. Timing is important as well.
“Our penalty kill did a pretty good job but both of their goals were on clearing attempts that we weren’t successful, and 32 or 35% power plays make you pay for that, and they did tonight.”
Darnell Nurse’s empty-net goal clinched it, sending the Kings into the last four games of the regular season with some concerns. “I think we should play a little bit more with the puck maybe but also we have to defend,” Arvidsson said. “We have chances to score and we’ve got to bear down, but it’s a little bit of both I think.”
The Kings next face the Golden Knights on Thursday in Las Vegas, but it’s unclear if former teammate Jonathan Quick will start for his new team. Quick took the loss Tuesday in the Golden Knights’ 3-2 overtime defeat at Nashville and has lost his last two starts. He’s 5-2-1 in nine games, with a 3.43 goals-against average and .895 save percentage, not far off the numbers he compiled for the Kings.
After that, the Kings are home to play defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado before they finish against two nonplayoff teams, at home against the Vancouver Canucks and at Anaheim against the Ducks. McLellan said he hasn’t decided if he will continue alternating goalies — Pheonix Copley played Tuesday — or designate one the starter for the playoffs. It seems likely Korpisalo will get the nod because they gave up Quick and a first-round draft pick for him, and Copley has no NHL playoff experience.
But at this point, nothing is sure — especially the Kings’ fate if they open against the invigorated Oilers.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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