The Los Angeles Kings had reason to believe this year might finally break the cycle. They outperformed the Edmonton Oilers during the regular season, and this advantage seemed to continue through the first two games and initial periods of the postseason series.
Aiming to end a three-year string of playoff eliminations by the Oilers, the Kings took a promising 2-0 lead at home. However, things rapidly unraveled for Los Angeles. The team lost four consecutive games, including two costly defeats after failing to hold third-period leads. The outcome, unfortunately, mirrored their playoff fate against Edmonton in every year since 2022.
This most recent first-round exit at the hands of the Oilers might feel particularly painful. The Kings appeared to be in an advantageous position. They deployed strong defensive tactics against an Oilers offense heavily reliant on its top offensive weapons. Furthermore, the Los Angeles offense, which had shown late-season improvement, faced an Edmonton defense missing its key shutdown defenseman, Mattias Ekholm.
In the goaltending department, the Kings also held a clear edge. Darcy Kuemper was a Vezina Trophy finalist, while Edmonton`s Stuart Skinner had demonstrated significant inconsistency throughout the season.
Despite these favorable circumstances, Los Angeles simply couldn`t overcome their Edmonton rivals. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and their teammates once again proved too powerful for the Kings to handle.
Without resorting to overused phrases, it`s evident that substantial changes are necessary for the Los Angeles organization moving forward. Whether these involve player personnel, coaching strategies, or how players are utilized, let`s examine the key areas where the Kings struggled and what needs modification.
Personnel
This series often boiled down to the Kings` depth facing off against the Oilers` sheer offensive firepower. While depth appeared promising after two games, Edmonton`s top-end talent ultimately ignited. McDavid, Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard took control of the series momentum late in Game 3 and maintained it thereafter.
The Kings` fundamental issue isn`t merely the absence of a player like McDavid – that`s a challenge shared by nearly every NHL team. Their problem is a lack of truly dynamic offensive stars – players who can consistently generate scoring opportunities through individual skill or creativity. While Adrian Kempe is a proven scorer, Kevin Fiala a skilled playmaker, Anze Kopitar an elite two-way center, and Quinton Byfield developing into one, none possess the immediate, game-breaking offensive generation capabilities of McDavid or Draisaitl.
In the series` final four games, McDavid and Draisaitl combined for 14 points. Evan Bouchard also provided crucial offense with four goals in the pivotal Games 3 and 4 victories.
If the Kings hope to capitalize on their current competitive window, General Manager Rob Blake must aggressively pursue truly elite offensive talents. Such players are scarce, but recent Stanley Cup champions (like the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights) have successfully acquired impact players through significant roster moves. With the NHL salary cap projected to increase significantly this offseason, opportunities may arise in free agency and on the trade market. The Kings should actively participate in these avenues to strengthen their roster, especially given the likely possibility of facing the Oilers again in the 2026 playoffs.
Philosophy
Another significant challenge for the Kings in this series was their approach to defending third-period leads, particularly in Games 3 and 4. While it`s understandable for a team to play to its strengths – and the Kings were highly effective at shutting down opponents late in regular season games – this strategy becomes significantly riskier against an Oilers team capable of scoring almost instantly.
Despite being nearly caught attempting a conservative defensive style in Game 1, the Kings largely adopted a similar approach in Games 3 and 4 when leading after two periods. After competitive first 40 minutes where the Kings absorbed pressure but capitalized, they opted to rely heavily on their defensive forwards and veteran defensemen to protect the lead.
This strategy proved ineffective. McDavid and the Oilers` top players exploited any defensive space provided by the Kings as Los Angeles attempted to defend passively in front of their goaltender.
Data from Natural Stat Trick clearly illustrates the Kings` struggles in the third periods of Games 3 and 4:
| Stats | 1st & 2nd Period | 3rd Period |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 48-38, LAK | 29-14, EDM |
| HDSC (High-Danger Scoring Chances) | 20-16, EDM | 9-5 EDM |
| xG (Expected Goals) | 4.9-4.3, EDM | 3.9-0.9, EDM |
| Goals | 7-4, LAK | 6-0, EDM |
This shutdown defensive approach with a lead has been a characteristic of the Kings` play, dating back to Todd McLellan`s tenure as coach from 2019 to 2024. When Jim Hiller took over, the team`s tactical identity largely remained consistent. While successful in winning regular season games, this philosophy clearly has significant drawbacks when trying to finish games against a high-octane offense like Edmonton`s.
It`s reasonable for a team like the Kings to want to minimize risks late in games against a lethal opponent. However, Los Angeles might have benefited from maintaining more offensive pressure to keep Edmonton on the defensive in critical moments rather than inviting pressure onto themselves.
Player Usage
To his credit, Coach Hiller attempted to leverage the Kings` perceived depth advantage. Nine different Kings players averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per game, compared to just six for the Oilers. The challenge for Los Angeles was that many of these players, particularly veteran defensemen, did not perform effectively when on the ice.
For example, Drew Doughty and Mikey Anderson were assigned the difficult task of matching up against McDavid`s line. Despite their strong regular-season performance, they struggled significantly in this matchup. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers controlled over 75% of the expected goals at five-on-five when McDavid was on the ice against Doughty and Anderson.
Doughty and Anderson were not alone in their struggles. The other veteran defensive pairing of Joel Edmundson and Vladislav Gavrikov also had negative five-on-five results.
These performance issues raise questions about why the highly skilled and mobile, albeit young, defensive pairing of Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke wasn`t utilized more frequently. Spence averaged 7:31 per game, and Clarke averaged 12:47. While coaches are typically hesitant to rely heavily on young defensemen in crucial playoff situations, this pairing could have provided a much-needed offensive spark from the blue line, having combined for 61 points in the regular season.
At a minimum, Spence and Clarke could have absorbed more minutes in the earlier portions of games. This could have potentially preserved energy for veterans like Doughty and Anderson for key defensive assignments later in the game. While the younger defensemen might have faced similar challenges, they likely deserved a greater opportunity to contribute than they received.
