There's a lot that the Kings did to lose this game & to be down 2-1. They haven't scored 1 PPG & have allowed 7. They were also turning the puck over & missing on passes. So they could've lost the game on their own without the help of the referees. But they got it anyway. The officiating was an absolute sh*tshow. They gave Englund 2 for illegal check to the head. No it wasn't, it was to the body. And it was no worse than the hit on Danault in game 2, which got no call. You've got everyone pairing up but they give an extra 2 to Kopi for what? So Edmonton gets a free 2 man advantage & scores on it. Then they get another free 2 man advantage & score again. After that they just throw guys out because they've lost control of the game & want to pretend otherwise. And I know everyone's going to say it was over before all those penalties happened. But it wasn't. They were down by 3 with 14-1/2 minutes left. Maybe they wouldn't overcome that but we'll never know.
As far as next game, maybe they should start Rittich. I can't say Talbot allowed any bad goals & he made some big saves. But they need a change of some kind. I don't know who else they could add. Can they get Clarke in? Probably not with the Reign playing. But they need his offense. Maybe it's a good time for Kaliyev if his confidence isn't already shot. I don't know why they announced new lines before the playoffs with Turcotte-Kopi-Kempe, Moore-Danault-Arvidsson, Fiala-Lizotte-Lewis, & Byfield-PLD-Grundstrom but never played them once. Those would've actually been good lines with grit & skill up & down the lineup. I'd go with these lines & then maybe get more than 6 minutes from Lizotte & Lewis and 4 from Grundstrom. And I don't know if it's on the coaches or players. But it seems like Edmonton is able to adjust to what the Kings do while the Kings aren't able to counter those moves. At least not in game. Also, is the Danault line going to still be checking the McDavid line? Because that's not working. We'll see what happens Sunday. Like I've said for 3 years after every blowout loss, this is just 1 game. If we make the right adjustments we'll win & be tied up. I'm still pissed about this game but I'll be over it tomorrow & pumped by Sunday.
Go Kings Go!