Well… the Kings now find themselves in a position few thought possible just a week ago. After dropping three straight games to the Oilers, coach Jim Hiller finds his team in a do or die situation on Thursday night. Facing elimination, LA will look for a repeat of 2014, trying to force a Game 7 on Saturday night at home.
The aforementioned series was slightly different, even though the overall cadence was similar. After jumping out to a 2-0 series lead against Anaheim that year, then-coach Daryl Sutter saw his Kings drop three straight to the Ducks. Game 6 was at Staples Center, where the Kings earned a 2-1 victory, forcing a decisive Game 7 on the road. Once again, LA came away victorious, skating to a commanding 6-2 win in the enemy territory of Orange County.
For history to repeat itself, Hiller and the Kings must shake off an embarrassing effort in Game 5 vs. the Oilers; after being dominated for 60 straight minutes in their most important game as a franchise in a decade. They’ll have their work cut out for them too. Now late in the series, one has to wonder if Hiller’s deployment and ice time distribution is starting to have a negative impact. Several players have rebuffed that idea during postgame chats with the media, yet the eye test suggests differently. For a team that has leaned on depth all season, opting to essentially play nine forwards and four defensemen for a majority of this playoff series doesn’t seem to be working.
At this point, Hiller may choose to go back to an 11+7 alignment. Regardless, though, it will need to be an all-hands-on deck approach. Every single player in the lineup will need to lay it on the line in order for the Kings to come away with a victory.
Perhaps a little more history is on their side, as well. In total, the Kings have played a Game 6 in 25 previous matchups. They’ve won 60% of those contests, coming away with 15 wins, dating back to the 1968 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Statistically Speaking
— Darcy Kuemper, who made 44 saves (Game 4) and 43 saves (Game 5) over the past two contests, matched Jonathan Quick (87 saves from April 13 – 15, 2012) for the most saves over a two-game span in LA’s postseason history.
— Andrei Kuzmenko has recorded nine high-danger shots on goal this series, tied for the second-most among all NHL skaters (per data from NHL EDGE), trailing only Toronto’s Matthew Knies (10).
— Drew Doughty has skated 18.07 total miles through five games and 135:10 of total time-on-ice in this series, respectively ranking 10th and fifth amongst blueliners in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Kings Projected Lineup vs. Oilers
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Kuzmenko – Kopitar – Kempe
Fiala – Byfield – Laferriere
Foegele – Danault – Moore
Malott – Helenius – Turcotte
Anderson – Doughty
Gavrikov – Spence
Edmundson – Clarke
Kuemper (starter)
Rittich
Likely scratches: (F) Lewis, Thomas and (D) Burroughs, Moverare
Injured: Jeannot, officially week-to-week (initially reported as out for extended time period)
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be televised locally by FanDuel Sports and nationally by ESPN. Additionally, a Kings radio feed is available on the ESPN LA app (which is the new home for Kings radio this season, they’ve moved off of the iHeart platform).
Across the Ice
Here’s how Edmonton lined up last time out:
Picks between the pipes & the same guys in front of him!@PlayAlbertaCA | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/VTjsaETQQP
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 30, 2025
On This Day in Kings History
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