The final extended control in Game 5 of a tied Kings-Oilers series seemed to be one of the most enjoyable and important moments in recent Edmonton history. Even I, a relatively neutral observer, found myself trembling with amazement when the Oilers left the ice at the end of the third period, jumping in front of an overflowing home crowd in anticipation of an improbable game-tying return. Suddenly, after facing the edge, they had all the momentum, and their inspirational play in the most important minute of their season made their final overtime win feel inevitable.
Instead, they basically failed to grab the puck for the rest of the game.
Let’s go back a little bit. Well, a lot. In 2006, in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Carolina Hurricanes lost an unlikely team of eighth-seeded Oilers, a heartbreaking event followed by a decade of irrelevance. In 2017, the results of those failures — such as Connor McDavid and Leon Drysitel দেখ led the Oilers to their long-awaited first play-off series victory, knocking the Sharks down before Anaheim lost seven to the post. Encouraged by that initial glimpse of success, the optimism quickly dries up, however. This promising generation of Oilers failed to build their team and missed the next two years play-offs, then failed to get out of the qualifying round in the 2020 bubble. In 2021, despite having a clear path through the North, they were abandoned by the Jets in the first round. And now the 2022 playoff, once perhaps a target date for a cup, could push the fanbase into a real disappointment if the team can’t beat the Underdog Kings.
With all this luggage in mind, you can see why things got worse with nine minutes left in the third period. The Kings took a 3-1 lead, Connor McDavid responded with a goal, but then the man himself took a tripping penalty, then in less than two minutes gave Ryan McLeod a four-minute double minor, giving the Oilers the lead. Hind legs They survived for a while, but then a talented off-season pickup from Philip Donalt, LA, who looks smarter, taps through Mike Smith to a hideout near Adrian Kemp. The Kings not only held a 4-2 advantage, they also held a two-minute power play.
But the Eulers’ frustration gave their aggressive, unconventional penalty-killing pair a spark from McDavid and DrySittle. Leaving 40 seconds to spare, Leon took a spin in front of his own net and brought it to Connor, who caused fear and panic whenever he crossed the blue line with the possession. In a 3-on-3 setup, McDavid dragged two defenders, moved to a covered Brett Kulak, and then deflected away from the defender in a backward dressitel slot.
That goal brought the crowd back to life and encouraged some positive thinking, which was rewarded less than three minutes later. Again, it was the Edmonton stars who forced their own success, this time on the power play instead of Kill. The goal here was proof of how much McDavid claims for everyone’s focus, as a trip with a twist behind the net draws attention away from his gravity drysite and sets him up for a deadly one-timer in an acre.
This one felt special. Maybe because Toronto also denied his pessimistic satisfaction at night. Maybe because Connor and Leon could make such a big loom king ice on anyone. Because whatever it was, while celebrating the 4-4 tie, the Tellers felt like they had been struck by lightning in a bottle.
And now we’re back to the giant disaster. The Eulers again fired big guns for overtime, but took control of the Los Angeles draw and made four different attempts in the first minute to block Edmonton’s attempt to clear. When Evander slipped to catch the ice in the center, Adrian hit the camp. LA’s highest scorer shelters it along the board, cutting in front of a sliding, punching Duncan Keith and finishing to win by crossing Smith at the crease. As you can see here, the kings showed no fear, hemmed the oilers from the beginning and did not even give them a chance. Try And beat Jonathan Quick once more.
It was another great show for Los Angeles, who were fascinated by Game 2 and 3 but won 4-0 at home before returning to Edmonton for this daring victory. Despite the overtime, all the underlying numbers strongly supported the Kings, and it remains a surprising fact for Edmonton that even after all the front-office efforts to help them somewhat, it once again took McDavid and DrySitele on their backs. Ball OT in a 2-2 series against a team that has rarely been able to break even in terms of goal difference this year. Many years later, the story is still the same.
The moment I come back, though, is the first hall-face-off from overtime that kept the kings in the offensive zone and kept them there for quite some time. In particular, I look at Keith’s failure when the kings try and send it, serving a plate for Trevor Moore instead of giving the Oilers a chance to settle. From this slight bounce, the rest of the game was a sprint entirely directed by Los Angeles.
Does that mean I blamed Keith for the Edmonton loss? Well, it’s tempting. But randomness makes me more angry than the past-his-prime defender, starting overtime with a huge cap hit. What gets twisted in the Blue Line and Moore’s stick is a small disc that possesses its own mind as much as it is a conscious effort on the part of the kings. Yeah Al that sounds pretty crap to me, Looks like BT aint for me either. The game began to take shape shortly after Keith’s awkward block. By then, it’s too late for Edmonton to find his position again, and they’re facing extinction before they know it. What makes hockey and especially play-offs so great and exciting and confusing and silly. You can be the best player of this generation and the other best players of this generation. But if Pak is not by your side, you can’t really do much.