EDMONTON, Canada — Cease me in case you’ve heard this earlier than, however the summer time is beginning early for the Kings after a first-round playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
This one is somewhat completely different, although, as a result of this was a season that had impressed uncommon promise earlier than it ended Thursday in the identical painful monotony because the final three, with the Oilers occurring and the Kings going house.
And that’s notably disappointing because the Kings tied franchise data for wins (48) and factors (105) and set one for house victories (31) this season. But it ended with the staff breaking one other file: it has now gone 11 seasons with out successful a playoff sequence, the longest drought in staff historical past.
A postseason wherein the Kings appeared primed for a long term lasted simply six video games, the final a 6-4 loss to the Oilers at Rogers Place that leaves the group as soon as once more shuffling off into the offseason stricken by doubt, frustration and one large query.
Edmonton Oilers Adam Henrique and Trent Frederic rejoice after scoring within the first interval towards the Kings throughout Sport 6 of their playoff sequence at Rogers Place on Thursday.
(Andy Devlin / NHLI through Getty Photographs)
What occurred?
“Having the season that we had, the group of guys in this locker room, and know, to come up short again? It sucks,” stated captain Anze Kopitar, who scored the staff’s ultimate aim of the season. “It’s frustrating. This one hurts a little more.”
Hurts somewhat extra as a result of the Kings misplaced greater than a sport and a sequence Thursday. They misplaced a golden alternative. Hardly ever has a postseason arrange so favorably for the staff.
After buying Andrei Kuzmenko on the commerce deadline, the Kings went on a tear, successful 17 of their ultimate 22 video games, averaging higher than 3.7 targets a sport. The once-punchless energy play grew to become potent; goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper went 15 video games permitting two or fewer targets, the second-longest streak within the NHL’s growth period; and the staff sprinted previous the Oilers to put second within the Pacific Division, its finest end in 9 seasons.
No staff completed the season hotter nor more healthy than the Kings.
That additionally meant the Kings, who had the perfect house file within the NHL within the common season, would have the home-ice benefit for the primary spherical of the playoffs. And in the event that they lastly acquired previous an Edmonton staff that limped into the postseason wounded, they’d have confronted Las Vegas within the second spherical and a staff from a quartet of Winnipeg, Dallas, Colorado or St. Louis within the Western Convention ultimate.
The Kings have been a mixed 8-4-1 towards these groups within the common season. It wasn’t outlandish to suppose the Kings had a shot on the Stanley Cup ultimate.
“It’s all going according to plan,” one staff government whispered early within the playoffs. After which it wasn’t, with the Kings as soon as once more tripping over a well-recognized hurdle.
“One hundred percent it’s a missed opportunity,” Kings coach Jim Hiller stated. “We had great buy-in from our players. We believe we could have won the series. We believe we should have won the series. We didn’t.
“So that’s the bottom line.”
The Oilers have confirmed to be the kryptonite to even probably the most Superman-ish of Kings groups, with Edmonton the place the Kings postseasons go to die.
Highlights from the Edmonton Oilers’ 6-4 win over the Kings in Sport 6.
The groups have met within the playoffs 11 occasions since 1982 with the Oilers successful 9 of these sequence, together with the final 4 in a row. The final time the Kings beat Edmonton within the playoffs, in 1989, Wayne Gretzky led the staff in factors, present basic supervisor Luc Robitaille was in his third season as a participant whereas Kopitar, the one participant on this 12 months’s staff who was even alive then, was nonetheless in diapers.
The 12 months’s loss would be the most painful of the lot although.
The Kings had the home-ice benefit, one of many league’s high three goaltenders in Darcy Kuemper and the highest energy play within the playoffs. They led in each sport.
But they nonetheless misplaced in six.
The turning level within the sequence got here in late in Sport 3. After dominating the primary two video games at house, the Kings have been main the primary sport in Edmonton with about seven minutes to play when catastrophe struck. After the Oilers’ Evander Kane tied the sport on a controversial aim, Hiller challenged the decision, arguing for goalie interference. He misplaced, Edmonton was awarded an influence play, and 10 seconds later the Oilers went in entrance to remain.
In Sport 4 the Kings led with lower than 35 seconds to play when Quinton Byfield did not make a easy clearance out of the Kings’ zone. The Oilers pounced on the error to tie the sport, then received it in time beyond regulation. They by no means misplaced once more.
“You can pinpoint Game 3, we didn’t close out,” Kopitar stated. “Definitely Game 4. It’s a completely different series if we go home up 3-1 versus 2-2. But could’ve, should’ve, would’ve.”
The Kings merely wore down, particularly on the blue line. That’s why they gave up a playoff-worst 15 targets within the third interval and time beyond regulation within the sequence. The Oilers scored simply 12 occasions within the first and second intervals mixed.
But requested in his postgame press convention if he regretted how he used his defensemen, Hiller was curt.
“No,” he stated.
And with that he walked away from the rostrum for the ultimate time this season.
Edmonton Oilers followers rejoice their staff’s playoff sequence win over the Kings Thursday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
(Andy Devlin / NHLI through Getty Photographs)
Then there’s the offense. Kopitar and Adrian Kempe mixed for 19 factors within the sequence, however had only one aim and two assists mixed after Kane’s game-tying aim in Sport 3.
“The chances were there. We just couldn’t convert,” Kopitar stated. “Credit to their goalie, he made some good stops. Credit to their team. The last couple of games they played a solid checking game and made it harder on us to generate stuff.
“We fought and came up short.”
That’s starting to sound redundant.
