Three Takeaways: Kings and Oilers Swap Goals In Entertaining Game One
The Los Angeles Kings got things done last night against the Edmonton Oilers providing one of the true upsets from day one of the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Kings were not the favorite going into the game yesterday against the Edmonton Oilers. Most thought that Edmonton would have their way thanks to their offense led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but it did not take long for McDavid and company to fall behind to the Kings.
The Los Angeles Kings got things going in the first thanks to a goal from Trevor Moore. After taking the lead 9 minutes into the game the Kings would hold onto it for most of the night.
The Kings had an all around great effort from the entire roster. Phillip Danault looked like his normal postseason self, Alex Iafallo registered a few points and most importantly Jonathan Quick played great.
Connor McDavid and the Oilers kept trying to battle back, but in a scary ending for general manager Ken Holland the Oilers gave up a goal late in the game thanks to a turnover from goaltender Mike Smith. The goalies made an impact who would have thought?
Let’s jump in with the key takeaways.
1. Why Not Now For The Los Angeles Kings?
Despite the game one loss, this still is Edmonton’s series. The start power that team has matched with the Kings youth and inexperience makes for what should be a one way series with Edmonton coming out on top, but game one shocked me.
Why not now for the Kings? They have a great roster built around their aging core with a new youth movement coming in, and they have what arguably is most important – a goaltender who could potentially steal a series.
Jonathan Quick made 35 saves on the night including some real big chances from the Oilers. The Kings capitalized on their chances while Edmonton was shut down by good pressure and goaltending.
Beating the Oilers involves beating the two players on the top in Draisaitl and McDavid, and one player played a big roll in shutting those two down.
2. The Montreal Canadiens Really Miss Phillip Danault
It is no wonder the Montreal Canadiens fell out of the playoff picture early without Phillip Danault. Danault has turned into a very remarkable player in the past few seasons. He is someone the Kings can rely on in all situations and someone the team can use against the opposition’s top stars.
In this game, he played almost 23 minutes and won over half of his faceoffs. Oh, and he got arguably the biggest goal of the game giving the team the game-winning goal in the third period.
These are exactly the type of goals the Kings need if they are going to win the series. Capitalizing on mistakes and doing their best to outlast the opponent is the only way LA is going to keep ahold on this series.
3. Don’t Count Out The Edmonton Oilers Just Yet
The Edmonton Oilers might have lost game one at home, but things are not over yet. This is a different team than last year, one that definitely needs to be more hungry for a win. The Oilers still have the potential to get things done but it starts with this next game.
Winning game two is a must for Edmonton, and you could see the way star players like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were playing that they are desperate for a win.
Something to note: McDavid played over 25 minutes tonight and Draisaitl, Hyman, Kane and Nugent-Hopkins all played over 20. If this team is going to win their series and make a playoff run they need to play at least one more line a little more.
Maybe this is just an error on the roster construction – which definitely could be valid – but to me the Oilers need to be using their bottom-six a little more than they have been. Otherwise, guys like McDavid are going to be gassed the longer this series goes.
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Edmonton is not going to roll over after one game. I can’t wait to see where things go from here.