Game Thread: Kings vs Oilers 2023 WCQF G3

[PuckinUgly57]

Gotta have a strong 1st period tonight, the Kings are fortunate to be coming home tied 1-1. Apart from the OT goal by Iafallo in G1, which literally lasted less than a second, they have never led in the series and keep chasing the game.

Good article on The Athletic about how the B6 players for Edmonton were difference makers in G2 (Ryan, Kostin with goals - which I agree even screened by The Tourist Korpisalo should have stopped that one) and with the T6 shut down by the Oilers the Kings B6 didn't make a difference. I'm at Home Depot (such a dad thing to do on a Friday after work, I know) so I'll post it in this thread when I get home from the laptop for our non subscribers.

Here's looking at you Kupari, Kaliyev, Lizotte et al. Especially Kaliyev of that group, at least Kupari is generating chances and he's noticeable, WTF has Arty Retardy been doing the last 15 months? He looked nonexistent almost season long. Visions of Martin Frk are dancing through my head, I think he should be moved and don't buy tye hype.

T-minus 4:07, let's go Kings!

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Posting this over here. Lizotte is apparently injured (Not scratched) tonight. Villardi slotted as 3rd line center between Grundstrom and Iafallo. Zac McEwen allegedly is in on 4th line with JAD and Kupari. Feels like a lot more size in the lineup for tonight, so we'll see how that goes. I like how Grundstrom went at Nurse last year and would love to see the Kings put more pressure on the Edmonton D and, especially, try to get more action on Skinner. I don't think Skinner has looked particularly strong.

I am actually going tonight, so hoping for better showing than last year's Game 3!

 

[CaptHowdy00]

Kings' Blake Lizotte ruled out of Game 3 vs. Oilers because of lower-body injury

Kings' Blake Lizotte was ruled out of Friday's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers because of a lower-body injury.

www.latimes.com

Anderson-Dolan is taking his place.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Posting this over here. Lizotte is apparently injured (Not scratched) tonight. Villardi slotted as 3rd line center between Grundstrom and Iafallo. Zac McEwen allegedly is in on 4th line with JAD and Kupari. Feels like a lot more size in the lineup for tonight, so we'll see how that goes. I like how Grundstrom went at Nurse last year and would love to see the Kings put more pressure on the Edmonton D and, especially, try to get more action on Skinner. I don't think Skinner has looked particularly strong.

I am actually going tonight, so hoping for better showing than last year's Game 3!

I forgot to mention MacEwen, I was thinking he should have been inserted into G2 after the beat down the Kings took in G1. I know he was busted for that hit on Hutton of Vegas (and ex King) a few weeks ago, that was garbage and a BS call. If he plays like that tonight I'd be stoked.

Glad to see how they are countering, should be interesting indeed to see how Vilardi plays back at center. The Kings need some grit in the line up. And I agree, Skinner has looked shaky but when you literally get your first SOG after 18 minutes in the 1st he won't be tested. That was an embarrassment of a 1st period.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Can't link the whole article, need to break it up (apparently a 12000 character limit per post):

Athletic link: Kings 'definitely need a better start' in order to win this series

Story:

L.A. Kings need to impose their will earlier in order to hold off Oilers​

By Eric Stephens
Apr 20, 2023

33

---

EDMONTON — The Kings are going to be a tough out in these Stanley Cup playoffs. They’re a tough-minded club that beat back some challenges that threatened to toss them sideways over a grinding seven months. They earned their chance at making a longer run this time around.
But if they’re going to continue an uphill battle against Edmonton every game, the Kings can’t expect to come out victorious, no matter how long this series goes.

L.A. Kings need to impose their will earlier in order to hold off Oilers​

By Eric Stephens
Apr 20, 2023

33

---

EDMONTON — The Kings are going to be a tough out in these Stanley Cup playoffs. They’re a tough-minded club that beat back some challenges that threatened to toss them sideways over a grinding seven months. They earned their chance at making a longer run this time around.
But if they’re going to continue an uphill battle against Edmonton every game, the Kings can’t expect to come out victorious, no matter how long this series goes.

Game 3 needs to be different. It must be. Sure, they were able to rally around the Oilers’ penalty issues and lack of proper game management in their hijacking of Game 1 as they got some clutch plays from some of their most important performers. They made another comeback on Wednesday night, but the Oilers got a tiebreaking goal by Klim Kostin and didn’t fall apart in the third as Evander Kane’s empty net goal wrapped up a 4-2 Game 2 win at Rogers Place.

There has been a healthy dose of fortitude in this Kings bunch all season. But they dug themselves another hole with a first period that was worse than Game 1, which says something in that they were down 2-0 just 12 minutes in. Derek Ryan and Leon Draisaitl, who they don’t have an answer for, gave them a similar lead in about the same time frame. The Kings weren’t being pushed around as much as in the first half of Monday’s series opener. They just didn’t generate anything in the first 20 minutes.

The tale of the tape over their first period read like this: Eleven Edmonton shots on goal to the Kings’ three and 26 shot attempts to only nine. Natural Stat Trick had the Oilers with a 70 percent Corsi For rating and a 76.21 percent expected goal rate at even strength. The Kings’ first shot on goal didn’t come until the 17:58 mark on Alex Iafallo’s wraparound try.

They can’t come out like that on Friday in what should be a juiced-up home crowd at Crypto.com Arena. Home ice has not been much of an advantage across these playoffs, but the Kings need to go to the whip earlier and create an energy where they and their fans can feed off each other.

“Tonight, the first period was terrible,” Kings winger Gabriel Vilardi said. “There’s no excuses for that.”

Phillip Danault wouldn’t say the slow starts are a concern. “But we need to fix it now,” he said. “It’s not too late. It’s never too late.”

(Con't)

 

[PuckinUgly57]

In the final minute of the second, Vilardi had the crowd as nervous as they were in Game 1 when Adrian Kempe scored twice and Anze Kopitar tied it in stunning fashion in the waning seconds to force overtime. Vilardi celebrated his return to the lineup by squeezing the puck by Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner after Vladislav Gavrikov picked off a pass in the neutral zone and started a counterattack with Trevor Moore.
Adding him back into the mix is already beneficial. Vilardi had 23 goals this year. The 23-year-old has turned his great skill into production this season. It was his first playoff goal after getting into only two of the seven games during last year’s series.

“He can create a scoring chance out of nowhere,” Danault said. “Maybe not the fastest but very smart and good and strong on his stick. Cut to the net and not afraid to get his nose dirty.”

Vilardi called it bittersweet, but he also felt good about scoring, and he should. He’s another weapon who can build on his 14 minutes in his first action since March 26. An upper-body injury limited him at times over the second half of the season. He missed the final nine games and wasn’t quite ready to be in Game 1.

“I haven’t played in a month,” he said. “Come back and it’s 100 miles an hour obviously. Playing in this arena too, they’re fast. Yeah, for me personally, the first period was really tough. Just everything was happening really fast. But I think I settled in as the game went on.”

When assessing what Vilardi brought, Kings coach Todd McLellan said, “I thought Gabe was a little bit like our team. … Very fast-moving first period and had to get his legs and his timing underneath him. But as the game wore on, he got better with the team.”

But that also touches on the problem. The Kings have gotten better as the games go on. It just appears that they’re wading into the water and getting acclimated to the temperature before they decide to start swimming.

They’ve been fortunate the Oilers haven’t blown them out of the water. Joonas Korpisalo has played a role in that. He followed up his 37-save effort by making more timely stops to allow his teammates a chance to come back. Nick Bjugstad should have made it 3-0 but Korpisalo (33 saves) robbed him with a wonderful glove save.

Kostin would beat him at 2:20 of the third. Skinner had some wobbly moments for the second straight game but made 23 stops to shake off his self-described “average” Game 1. The 24-year-old rookie should pick up some Calder Trophy votes after snatching the No. 1 job away from Jack Campbell.

But Skinner has also shown himself to be beatable. The Kings can grab the edge back in the series if they come out much more determined in Game 3 and put the pressure on him and the Oilers instead of having to absorb their punches before throwing some jabs.

“We had a good group of players that had energy,” McLellan said. “It was the ones that didn’t that really lacked it and brought the team down in my opinion. Phil’s line had it. It wasn’t perfect by any means, they got hemmed in at different times, but the commitment for them to continue on and push through was much greater than some others on our team.”

All that said, the Kings are in the same position as last year in that they’re going home with a split. And they’re feeling a little better about bouncing back from this instead of the 6-0 Game 2 rout they endured. “Big difference,” McLellan said.
When assessing what Vilardi brought, Kings coach Todd McLellan said, “I thought Gabe was a little bit like our team. … Very fast-moving first period and had to get his legs and his timing underneath him. But as the game wore on, he got better with the team.”
But that also touches on the problem. The Kings have gotten better as the games go on. It just appears that they’re wading into the water and getting acclimated to the temperature before they decide to start swimming.

They’ve been fortunate the Oilers haven’t blown them out of the water. Joonas Korpisalo has played a role in that. He followed up his 37-save effort by making more timely stops to allow his teammates a chance to come back. Nick Bjugstad should have made it 3-0 but Korpisalo (33 saves) robbed him with a wonderful glove save. Kostin would beat him at 2:20 of the third. Skinner had some wobbly moments for the second straight game but made 23 stops to shake off his self-described “average” Game 1. The 24-year-old rookie should pick up some Calder Trophy votes after snatching the No. 1 job away from Jack Campbell.

But Skinner has also shown himself to be beatable. The Kings can grab the edge back in the series if they come out much more determined in Game 3 and put the pressure on him and the Oilers instead of having to absorb their punches before throwing some jabs.
“We had a good group of players that had energy,” McLellan said. “It was the ones that didn’t that really lacked it and brought the team down in my opinion. Phil’s line had it. It wasn’t perfect by any means, they got hemmed in at different times, but the commitment for them to continue on and push through was much greater than some others on our team.”
All that said, the Kings are in the same position as last year in that they’re going home with a split. And they’re feeling a little better about bouncing back from this instead of the 6-0 Game 2 rout they endured. “Big difference,” McLellan said.

Some things are going right. Sparked by Danault’s shutdown efforts, Connor McDavid has one point in the two games. Korpisalo is giving the Kings more consistent goaltending. And they only gave Edmonton’s dangerous power play one chance.

But that chance was converted by Draisaitl, who is rolling with three goals and two assists after his three-point night. Limiting the damage he can do is part of the game plan. As should be dictating the game from the first drop of the puck.

“We didn’t panic,” Danault said. “We stuck to the plan. That’s our recipe. But we definitely need a better start. I thought the character was there again and we came back again. We proved that we can do that. Now we got to go the other way.”

The Kings have been in that headspace all year. They’ve never feared deficits even when their game was wildly erratic in the early months. They’re still very much in a good position to win this series. Being the team that imposes their will would go a long way toward doing it. Some things are going right. Sparked by Danault’s shutdown efforts, Connor McDavid has one point in the two games. Korpisalo is giving the Kings more consistent goaltending. And they only gave Edmonton’s dangerous power play one chance. But that chance was converted by Draisaitl, who is rolling with three goals and two assists after his three-point night. Limiting the damage he can do is part of the game plan. As should be dictating the game from the first drop of the puck.

“We didn’t panic,” Danault said. “We stuck to the plan. That’s our recipe. But we definitely need a better start. I thought the character was there again and we came back again. We proved that we can do that. Now we got to go the other way.”
The Kings have been in that headspace all year. They’ve never feared deficits even when their game was wildly erratic in the early months. They’re still very much in a good position to win this series. Being the team that imposes their will would go a long way toward doing it.

Sorry for the formatting, I think I screwed it up but I wanted people to have access to this. I have some guest invites which I believe is a free month but after that you have to decide if you want to subscribe or not. Personally, worth every penny - material not available elsewhere. If anyone wants that invite send me a DM and I'll send it to you.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Kings' Blake Lizotte ruled out of Game 3 vs. Oilers because of lower-body injury

Kings' Blake Lizotte was ruled out of Friday's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers because of a lower-body injury.

www.latimes.com

Anderson-Dolan is taking his place.

Lover his effort, but this is what happens when you have a 7th grader as your 3C. Need to get some size into the system.

He is getting ragdolled left and right all over the place so far.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Stunner, have fun at the game. Let us know how the vibe and crowd is.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Oilers line up tonight, I don't see any changes. Courtesy of my man cave, a beer and pizza.

Bjugstad has been a huge pick up for them, him at 3C vs Lizotte at 3C is a major disadvantage.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

So Doughty gets a penalty for being on his knees and that broke thug Kane drives him into the boards, but Doughty gets one for interference somehow? That was a run of the mill play minus Kane being a douche as usual.

I don't condone dirty play, but for the love of God someone please send a significant Oiler to IR.

Cheap POS can't win team.

 

[Kings4OT]

Im gonna say ive liked Byfields play so far this series....hope he builds from this

 

[davnlaguna]

Yesterday if you had said tied after 2
I would have been happy

 

[Kings4OT]

Yesterday if you had said tied after 2
I would have been happy

For sure, i expected Oilers to bury them fast....good play

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Im gonna say ive liked Byfields play so far this series....hope he builds from this

I'm gonna say he needs to be traded. The Kings blew a 2nd overall. They have undrafted one foot shorter Iafallo doing the same job and actually putting up points in the meantime.

Score some goals dude.

 

[davnlaguna]

McJesus with his best game so far.
Kings winning ugly

 

[Kings4OT]

I'm gonna say he needs to be traded. The Kings blew a 2nd overall. They have undrafted one foot shorter Iafallo doing the same job and actually putting up points in the meantime.

Score some goals dude.

I said they blew it when they drafted him, i still standby that. But i think byfield has played well this series compaired to what ive seen previously....thats not saying much, but ive at least noticed him and not because he is making bad plays, so for me that is something haha

 

[PuckinUgly57]

He was shooting the puck more last night, even banged one off a post. I'm still not sold on the guy but that's more scoring looks than we've seen from him all season long.

I still think he's going to end up like Brian Boyle vs Tage Thompson though. I can't stand hearing that defense of him. Thompson absolutely elevated his game to other world status, Byfield isn't even remotely close in terms of the trajectory.

Getting a kick out of reading Oiler blogs today, that McJesus guy is transcending into officiating now too. Remarkable, an NHL player and ref in one.

Woodcroft looks like a shwarmy vacuum cleaner salesman.

 

[Kings4OT]

I personally think it touched the stick, But in no video that i've seen Have I definitely definitively saw it touch the stick..... Which is what I would need 2 overturn the call on the ice

 

[davnlaguna]

If the Kings win the series all they will talk about in Canada is “the touch”
Ok and the refs and buttman want LA to win

 

[PuckinUgly57]

I was confused as hell what was going on because it felt like 20 seconds passed between that play and the actual goal. I was like huh? What are they reviewing? Then they went to the high stick.

Honestly, I can't tell if it did or didn't and I've looked at literally 20 or so replays today. The puck doesn't seem to change off its normal spinning motion or change its axis or anything. To me it hit Ekholm on the way down anyway so it's a moot point because Legend didn't play it immediately and now the puck is fair game.

The right call was made that it was inconclusive, the baffling part to me is never have I seen a review like that when it's happened like 5 times a game. Is it because a GWOT goal was scored? That doesn't reviewed 100% of the time otherwise.

But Oilers gonna Oiler. I feel Turdcroft calling out officiating like that is going to bite them in the ass.