Edmonton Oilers: Analyzing the Los Angeles Kings Loss
The Edmonton Oilers suffered a setback against the LA Kings last night at the Staples Center. What are the positives and negatives to take from this game?
With the momentum the Edmonton Oilers were riding on after their big win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night, they suffered a setback last night against the LA Kings. Looking at the 5-2 score doesn’t give an accurate picture of how well the Oilers played, as those final two goals by the Kings were empty-netters.
Regardless of what was displayed on the scoreboard, there some positives and negatives to take from the game. One loss won’t make or break the Oilers road to a playoff spot; it’s the habits they develop that need to change.
Allowing the LA Kings to dictate the game from tipoff forced the Edmonton Oilers to play off of their heels from the jump. Usually, when the Oilers start off strong in games, they typically end up with a win. Last night wasn’t the case at all as the Kings were dictating the pace with their speed and playmaking ability in the first period.
It also didn’t help the Oilers that they gave the Kings multiple power play opportunities throughout the game. This team seems like every time they take two steps forward; they always have a setback with the mistakes they have made all year-long.
The Positives
The most significant positive to take from this game was that the Edmonton Oilers did start to get back in the game in the second period. They took 15 shots on net and scored two goals to even the game up at two apiece. The second goal the Oilers made was by Connor McDavid after he collided with his teammate Jujhar Khaira.
After a few seconds, he got a pass after the Kings couldn’t capitalize and went one-on-one with Drew Doughty and scored on Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper. That goal seemed like the turning point of the game and momentum was on the side of the Oilers.
The Negatives
But the third period happened, which transformed into a nightmare for the Edmonton Oilers. Milan Lucic had the perfect opportunity to score the Oilers third goal in the game with an empty-netter, and his shot hit the post.
If he had scored that goal, it would have been safe to assume that the Oilers would have left Los Angeles with a win. But after that missed opportunity, the Kings turned up the ante and became the aggressors for the rest of the period (taking 17 shots).
Controversy shrouded the game-winning power play goal by the LA Kings near the end of the game. Tanner Pearson of the Kings seemed to have bumped Cam Talbot near the goalie crease which allowed Kings defenseman Paul LaDue to score the power play goal.
The officials still deemed the goal good even after the coach’s challenge, and that is what has angered many Oiler fans after this game. The hypocrisy of the NHL referees and Head Office docking the Oilers the past few games with goalie interference calls when it wasn’t and rewarding the opposition by giving them favorable calls is just silly.
At this juncture, there is nothing the Edmonton Oilers can do anything about it, and they’ll need to move on and face the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.