***Edmonton Oilers vs. LA Kings GDT 4/4/23 7:30pm on ESPN***

[Dr. Tran]

It’s tough when you want them to play physical against the Oilers but those guys go down so easily. Then they get the power play & end up going 2 for 4 or whatever it was. Anyway, this loss is disappointing. We are definitely hurt being without our injured players. But the other guys in the lineup are fully capable of stepping up & they need to. This next game against Vegas is huge.

 

[New User Name]

The only way the Kings get out of the first round is to tank the rest of the season and fall to one of the wild card spots.

 

[jammer06]

Congratulations to the following posters who correctly guessed the first goal by the kings would be scored by Arvidsson :

LeftyKing
jammer06
DRGinLBC
Helvetica
Byron
Rusty
VegasHockey
JETS GARAGE
randdog
beedee
AngelEyes
DRice
hihocarp
John a90
srm1105
kingrussell
Kurisu
KHenry14
beady eye
kingsmen93
Joe Laviguer
sonnyboy11
pray4mojo
empire
dannybuoy1
Bill Hicks

Arvidssons goal was a pretty cathartic release for the fans, too bad it didnt translate into momentum for the team.
I hate big games with built in excuses, this team always seems to fall back on them. Good showing by by Copley

 

[Front row]

#mcdavid cheats, twice he dove in the third, he drew penalty on the first one, only to do it again during the power play to try and cheat his way to a 5 on 3. For someone so good to cheat too really diminishes he stature as the "best ever." But since he is the NHL poster child, he gets away with it.

 

[JayWells24]

not a great time of the year to have your leading scorer and top pair defenseman out injured. Throw in Vilardi and the offense depth has really suffered. They need to find their game here to finish out the season. Kings technically won the 5v5, but the penalties really cost them... again.

The trio you mentioned have to find a way to get back into the lineup. No excuses. Last year we had 8 and 33 out injured in the playoffs and the result will be the same if that trio doesn't return. I hate the fact that last night all but sealed our fate of not getting the #1 seed. But when fully healthy, the Kings can beat anyone in the West regardless of our seed.

Go Kings!!

 

[pray4mojo]

#mcdavid cheats, twice he dove in the third, he drew penalty on the first one, only to do it again during the power play to try and cheat his way to a 5 on 3. For someone so good to cheat too really diminishes he stature as the "best ever." But since he is the NHL poster child, he gets away with it.

Not one to complain..but, as an oldster I'm going to wave my fist at the clouds... is there another team that gets away with interference more than the Oil? I'm specifically referring to the picks they constantly run in the O-zone- every team does it, but the Oil are really blatant with it, and again it frees up Mcdavid and Drai for their offensive fireworks so it goes uncalled- so frustrating.

rant over.

 

[waynet]

On the plus side (glass half full), even with 3 key players out, Kings were competitive on 5x5. Kempe buries just one of his 2 breaks, different game. Kings goaltending, which we were all worried about mid season, is no longer a forum topic. We're in the playoffs, get those 3 guys back, Kings can play with anyone.

 

[05/29/93]

The trio you mentioned have to find a way to get back into the lineup. No excuses. Last year we had 8 and 33 out injured in the playoffs and the result will be the same if that trio doesn't return. I hate the fact that last night all but sealed our fate of not getting the #1 seed. But when fully healthy, the Kings can beat anyone in the West regardless of our seed.

Go Kings!!

Ironically, The Kings right now have essentially the same roster they would have had last year, if healthy. Fiala wasn't here last year, and GV didn't play in the playoffs (that I recall). Really, the only difference is that they have Doughty now instead of Anderson. Goaltending is essentially the same (though with different goalies, obviously). Unfortunately, the OIlers have also improved a lot. They can win the 2-1, 2-0 games you see in the playoffs, and they have the big guns (McDavid, Draisaitl) that can come up with a big goal to break a low-scoring deadlock. The Kings, with the injured players, don't have that.

 

[Bill Hicks]

Not one to complain..but, as an oldster I'm going to wave my fist at the clouds... is there another team that gets away with interference more than the Oil? I'm specifically referring to the picks they constantly run in the O-zone- every team does it, but the Oil are really blatant with it, and again it frees up Mcdavid and Drai for their offensive fireworks so it goes uncalled- so frustrating.

rant over.

It is so blatant. Some team is gonna have to do something drastic to draw attention to it.

 

[Ice24]

Ironically, The Kings right now have essentially the same roster they would have had last year, if healthy. Fiala wasn't here last year, and GV didn't play in the playoffs (that I recall). Really, the only difference is that they have Doughty now instead of Anderson. Goaltending is essentially the same (though with different goalies, obviously). Unfortunately, the OIlers have also improved a lot. They can win the 2-1, 2-0 games you see in the playoffs, and they have the big guns (McDavid, Draisaitl) that can come up with a big goal to break a low-scoring deadlock. The Kings, with the injured players, don't have that.

The Kings also did not have Arvidsson in the playoffs last year.

 

[kingrussell]

Lately we make Skinner look like the Vezina trophy winner!

 

[Ice24]

That first line of the Kings is looking terrible, however they win the most faceoffs, so they got that going for them, which is nice.

 

[Helvetica]

Pretty much.

The issue I see with the Oilers this time around is they have shored up glaringly weak areas from last season. They are definitely more of a team post deadline and it shows in their 10-0-1 surge. Also doesn’t hurt that Skinner is so much better than old man smith.

It’s 2 good teams. The kings can hang but they will need Fiala, Anderson and Vilardi back. Not worried about seeding, just get healthy. I still don’t know how the oilers will react when the real pressure is on…can’t always rely on Mcdavid to draw penalties. They won’t call as many in the playoffs.

But none of this matters if the Kings don’t fix this clearing zone issue. Edmonton thrives on that weakness.

tbh, i think the oilers are the superior team. They have the experience to keep calm under pressure. Last season, they simply had poor D and average goaltending. This season, liek you said, they have addressed that. And the Kings are a team that survives on strong D and depth scoring. Take away yoru top scorer, and other top 5 scorer in vilardi, and yoru top pairing defender, and yeah... i mean thats going to be difficult for any team.

They didnt shut down the oilers last night, but they did a pretty good job of limiting mcdavid, and they kind of won the 5v5. Special team skilled them. Some of the penalties were pretty weak, but the arvidsson in the 3rd... woof. They have to play disciplined to win.

 

[Pevsfreedom]

Watching the Oilers makes me dislike hockey a bit. McDavid can "draw" a penalty by skating fast and just falling down near a stick. It's their entire game and it's so boring. Add in the injuries and our scoring drought since the Flames blowout first period is just a serious bummer. Really hope we don't play them in the playoffs. Boring "NHL Darlings" team that I can't stand to watch. Amazing how much Fiala brings to this team. First line looks awful. Lotsa complaints. Doesn't matter. Get healthy.