|
Oilers vs Kings Round 1 - Game 6: Close It Out |
|
|
|
|
|
My original prediction for this series was Kings in 6. Heading into the playoffs the Oilers were a heavily injured team that just lacked the same killer instinct that we saw from them in 23/24. I knew McDavid and Draisaitl were good enough to will the team into a couple wins but that was all I expected.
I've seen a number of people say the series changed after the terrible Hiller challenge in Game 3 and in a sense that is true but the real change for me in this series was the third period in Game 4. The Oilers were down 3-1 but they came out skating hard in that third period and ended up tying the game. From that point on, for the first time in this series the Oilers looked like a team that felt like they could win this series. The overtime was an absolute onslaught by the Oilers with Kuemper being the only reason that the OT wasn't over in the first 5 minutes.
Game 5 was the best game this Oilers team has played so far this season. Edmonton had not been good in the first period once in this series but from the moment the puck dropped this team was on the attack. Shots were 19-4 in favor of the Oilers and even though that period ended 0-0 the Oilers did not look like a frustrated team. Nor did they when Kuzmenko scored in the early part of the second period. Instead the Oilers went to work and continued attacking and thought McDavid and Draisaitl were excellent all night, it was goals by Kane and Janmark, assisted by Klingberg, Arvidsson, and Podkolzin respectively that put Edmonton ahead. It wasn't until the empty net goal by RNH assisted by McDavid and Draisaitl that the dynamic duo were on the board.
The Kings have squandered a 2-0 lead and lost only their 7th game in regulation all season at home and are now facing elimination heading back to Edmonton. Hiller was playing Kempe on the blueline in Game 5 to try and get a goal because he was terrified to put out his bottom defense pairings or 4th line forwards. The Kings heavily played their top 9 and top 4 D and this is a team that looked exhausted in Game 5.
Tonight all the pressure is on the Kings and all of the momentum going the Oilers way but that can still change in an instant. The playoffs are a roller coaster of emotions and if the Oilers get away from the gameplan that was so successful for them in Game 5 than they could still fall behind in Game 6. For the Kings, Kuemper was their best player in Game 5 and while the rest of their roster will certainly be looking to play better, they can't help but think they squandered what will likely be his best performance.
Some props to a couple players I don't normally focus on; Walman and Klingberg. Walman entered the Oilers like he was shot out of a cannon but faltered off a bit and then injuries kept him out of the lineup for a bit. Klingberg meanwhile never really gained much traction and then was eventually put on LTIR and I never expected to hear from him again. Instead, Klingberg since coming back into the lineup has quietly been one of the Oilers better blueliners alongside Jake Walman. Edmonton has needed players to step up in Ekholm's absence and help alleviate minutes from Nurse and Bouchard. Walman, Klingberg, and Kulak have all been excellent playing with elevated minutes.
Other props need to go out to playoff Janmark which hits completely different from regular season Janmark. Janmark is a player I felt deserved to be scratched numerous times but the bottom six forward has performed very well since Game 3 and now has a couple playoff goals to his name as well.
We have seen throughout this series how the Oilers play when they are down and Game 5 was saw how they could play when they had the opportunity to pull ahead. For the first time this series the Oilers are now in the drivers seat; we will find out tonight how they handle that.
Thanks for reading.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»