The Edmonton Oilers have eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in their first-round series. Winning the series 4-1 and the final game 4-3, officiating was the storyline of the contest as multiple calls put the Oilers on power plays. Some they capitalized on and others had barely expired when the Oilers tied and pulled away from the Kings. From there, they clogged the neutral zone in the third period successfully holding off a possible comeback.
Evander Kane had one, Leon Draisaitl had two, and Zach Hyman scored the third, with Stuart Skinner making 18 saves, including nine in the first to keep the Oilers in it early.
Draisaitl’s two goals brought his total to 17 goals in 18 playoff games against the Kings. Evan Bouchard contributed three assists, totaling 24 points in the same number of playoff games against LA. Connor McDavid registered two assists in Game 6, reaching a total of 12 points in this series and 36 points in 18 playoff games against the Kings. Notably, the Edmonton team scored nine power-play goals throughout the series.
Penalties Both Ways Were a Series-Changer for the Oilers
Reactions to the officiating were interesting, depending on which team you were cheering for. Los Angeles fans were first livid when Warren Foegele was called for a trip, but Kevin Fiala – who had a history of diving in previous series’ between these two teams — was called for embellishment. Not long after, both Pierre-Luc Dubois and Drew Doughty took minors. Edmonton scored just seconds after both of those penalties expired.
Adrian Kempe made it a one-goal game with David Rittich pulled to get it close with 2:18 remaining. Phillip Danault took a penalty with 19.7 seconds left as Leon Draisaitl was going to put the puck in the empty net. An offensive zone faceoff made it hard for the Kings to pull Rittich.
Throughout the series, the Oilers’ power play and the penalty kill was the difference-maker. Edmonton’s penalty kill was perfect. Their power play clicked at 45%. “It is a pretty easy write-up on this series. One team performed on special teams and one didn’t,” Kings head coach Jim Hiller said. Edmonton was also quite controlled, taking very few penalties, even when the Kings tried to frustrate them with hit after hit.
Oilers Withstood the Kings’ Physical Attack, Will Move On
The Kings had a game plan, coming out strong in the first periods of Games 4 and 5. Edmonton bent but never broke. The Oilers evened up the shots as the second and third rolled along, then took over.
The Oilers move onto the second round, defeating the Kings in three consecutive years. The first year it took seven games, last season it was six games and this season they got it done in five. The extra rest will be huge for the Oilers as the Kings series took a toll physically. Now, the Oilers wait for the series between the Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks to finish.
Next: ”Source” Denies Rumor Draisaitl Leaving Oilers For Team Out East
