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PuckinUgly57
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Playoff fodder, I expect some intense hockey next week. From TA:
EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers drew the ire of Los Angeles Kings centre Phillip Danault on Monday for what he felt was unnecessarily rough play. They responded in kind.
The Oilers, who dressed just 17 skaters and were without several stars and key contributors, played their most aggressive and chippy game of the season in a 5-0 loss. They racked up 53 penalty minutes — a season high — as their minute chances of getting home-ice advantage for their first-round series against the Kings dissipated.
Included in that penalty total was veteran defenceman Darnell Nurse’s cross-check to the head/neck of Quinton Byfield after Nurse had already dropped the Kings centre to the ice. That resulted in a major penalty and game misconduct to Nurse at 14:36 of the second period. Byfield left the game and didn’t return, so the player safety department will take a few extra looks at that.
It’s worth noting Nurse received a one-game suspension for headbutting Danault during the 2022 series between the two teams.
“I think they just have their B squad in, trying to hurt us,” Danault told Patrick O’Neal during the second intermission on the Kings broadcast. “That’s pretty much the message tonight. That’s what I’m thinking.”
The Oilers took issue with what Danault said because of the long list of players out of the lineup Monday with injuries or as a precaution while nursing ailments.
They were missing Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Trent Frederic, Jake Walman, Troy Stecher and Mattias Ekholm — the latter was ruled out for the upcoming series with a lower-body injury. That’s without mentioning Evander Kane and John Klingberg being on LTIR.
Sure, the hulking Josh Brown was recalled from AHL Bakersfield to fill in for Stecher, and he recorded five hits and was called for high sticking. But the other non-regular skaters were the slight Cam Dineen and college free-agent signee Quinn Hutson, who was making his NHL debut. Neither is exactly a pugilist.
“What the f—,” Perry said. “Excuse my language. What do you want us to do? Did he not look at what’s happened over the last couple of weeks? What does he want us to do?
“We’re not out there to hurt anybody. Let’s move on.”
Connor Brown took a similar tack.
Brown was called for roughing Danault when he skated toward him to deliver a retaliatory punch. That bumped Brown up to 10 penalty minutes on the season, a measly five minors.
“I’m not really interested in getting into a media war with Danault,” Brown said. “He took a run at me. I took a run at him. I don’t really have anything to say.”
Kings coach Jim Hiller removed starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper with less than 12 minutes remaining in a shutout bid. Hiller said he pulled Kuemper in favour of David Rittich to give the backup some more work, even though the Kings play in Seattle on Tuesday. That’s a game almost certainly scheduled for a second goalie.
All this adds a little more juice to the imminent playoff matchup — not that it needed it.
This is the fourth straight year these teams will meet in the first round. There’s enough bad blood to go around, and then there’s the intrigue of Warren Foegele and Viktor Arvidsson switching sides in the offseason. Foegele was under the skin of his former Oilers teammates for much of Monday’s game.
The one wrinkle is the series will start in Los Angeles rather than Edmonton.
“We open on the road. So be it,” Perry said. “Go out and do a job on the road. It’s not the first time or the last time you’re going to open a series on the road.”
The Kings have the best home record in the NHL at 31-5-4. The Oilers will have to win at least one game in Los Angeles to emerge as the victor for the fourth year in a row.
“If we can put together our best game,” Brown said, “it won’t matter where we’re playing. We believe that our best is better than anyone’s best.”
Though the first series in 2022 went the full seven games, this one has the makings of the best matchup between the two teams.
There was an air of confidence in the Kings dressing room on Monday morning. They genuinely believe this is their time to beat the Oilers.
Why shouldn’t they? In addition to having home ice, they have their best team. Signing Foegele and getting improvement from Byfield, the 2020 second pick, has given them another dimension offensively. It just so happens they scored the first two goals of Monday’s game.
But the biggest reason for their optimism is their netminder. Kuemper has been one of the best goalies in the league this season, as evidenced by his .922 save percentage and stopping 26.87 goals above expected in all situations, per Natural Stat Trick.
The Oilers barely tested Kuemper on Monday. He made just 16 saves before Rittich came in. The quantity of chances and quality of attempts are bound to be more plentiful with McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman and company in the lineup.
Ekholm and Klingberg are out, whereas Frederic and Kane are uncertainties for Game 1, but the Oilers are expected to have the rest of their absentees back for the opener.
“We know who we’re playing. We kind of know when. We know where,” Perry said. “It’s a matter of being ready.”
There probably will be no Dineen or Josh Brown in the lineup the next time the Oilers and Kings play, although a Nurse suspension would change things. No Hutson, who’s ineligible to participate in the playoffs. Maybe no Max Jones or Kasperi Kapanen, either.
They’ll be replaced by a couple of transcendent superstars, a 70-goal scorer from the 2023-24 regular reason and playoffs and a couple upgrades on defence. Perhaps more.
The way the Oilers see it, Danault might wish he and Kings could play the so-called B squad again.
“We have a high sense of belief in this group,” Brown said. “We think we can do something special.”
I just railed on Dunno last night for his horrid PP production, he's my hero now that he said that and threw shade on the Oilers. And if Brown thinks this team can beat anyone anywhere, I think there are some better NHL teams out there who may have something to say about that.
War of words adds fuel to upcoming Oilers-Kings NHL playoff series
EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers drew the ire of Los Angeles Kings centre Phillip Danault on Monday for what he felt was unnecessarily rough play. They responded in kind.
The Oilers, who dressed just 17 skaters and were without several stars and key contributors, played their most aggressive and chippy game of the season in a 5-0 loss. They racked up 53 penalty minutes — a season high — as their minute chances of getting home-ice advantage for their first-round series against the Kings dissipated.
Included in that penalty total was veteran defenceman Darnell Nurse’s cross-check to the head/neck of Quinton Byfield after Nurse had already dropped the Kings centre to the ice. That resulted in a major penalty and game misconduct to Nurse at 14:36 of the second period. Byfield left the game and didn’t return, so the player safety department will take a few extra looks at that.
It’s worth noting Nurse received a one-game suspension for headbutting Danault during the 2022 series between the two teams.
“I think they just have their B squad in, trying to hurt us,” Danault told Patrick O’Neal during the second intermission on the Kings broadcast. “That’s pretty much the message tonight. That’s what I’m thinking.”
The Oilers took issue with what Danault said because of the long list of players out of the lineup Monday with injuries or as a precaution while nursing ailments.
They were missing Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Trent Frederic, Jake Walman, Troy Stecher and Mattias Ekholm — the latter was ruled out for the upcoming series with a lower-body injury. That’s without mentioning Evander Kane and John Klingberg being on LTIR.
Sure, the hulking Josh Brown was recalled from AHL Bakersfield to fill in for Stecher, and he recorded five hits and was called for high sticking. But the other non-regular skaters were the slight Cam Dineen and college free-agent signee Quinn Hutson, who was making his NHL debut. Neither is exactly a pugilist.
“What the f—,” Perry said. “Excuse my language. What do you want us to do? Did he not look at what’s happened over the last couple of weeks? What does he want us to do?
“We’re not out there to hurt anybody. Let’s move on.”
Connor Brown took a similar tack.
Brown was called for roughing Danault when he skated toward him to deliver a retaliatory punch. That bumped Brown up to 10 penalty minutes on the season, a measly five minors.
“I’m not really interested in getting into a media war with Danault,” Brown said. “He took a run at me. I took a run at him. I don’t really have anything to say.”
Kings coach Jim Hiller removed starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper with less than 12 minutes remaining in a shutout bid. Hiller said he pulled Kuemper in favour of David Rittich to give the backup some more work, even though the Kings play in Seattle on Tuesday. That’s a game almost certainly scheduled for a second goalie.
All this adds a little more juice to the imminent playoff matchup — not that it needed it.
This is the fourth straight year these teams will meet in the first round. There’s enough bad blood to go around, and then there’s the intrigue of Warren Foegele and Viktor Arvidsson switching sides in the offseason. Foegele was under the skin of his former Oilers teammates for much of Monday’s game.
The one wrinkle is the series will start in Los Angeles rather than Edmonton.
“We open on the road. So be it,” Perry said. “Go out and do a job on the road. It’s not the first time or the last time you’re going to open a series on the road.”
The Kings have the best home record in the NHL at 31-5-4. The Oilers will have to win at least one game in Los Angeles to emerge as the victor for the fourth year in a row.
“If we can put together our best game,” Brown said, “it won’t matter where we’re playing. We believe that our best is better than anyone’s best.”
Though the first series in 2022 went the full seven games, this one has the makings of the best matchup between the two teams.
There was an air of confidence in the Kings dressing room on Monday morning. They genuinely believe this is their time to beat the Oilers.
Why shouldn’t they? In addition to having home ice, they have their best team. Signing Foegele and getting improvement from Byfield, the 2020 second pick, has given them another dimension offensively. It just so happens they scored the first two goals of Monday’s game.
But the biggest reason for their optimism is their netminder. Kuemper has been one of the best goalies in the league this season, as evidenced by his .922 save percentage and stopping 26.87 goals above expected in all situations, per Natural Stat Trick.
The Oilers barely tested Kuemper on Monday. He made just 16 saves before Rittich came in. The quantity of chances and quality of attempts are bound to be more plentiful with McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman and company in the lineup.
Ekholm and Klingberg are out, whereas Frederic and Kane are uncertainties for Game 1, but the Oilers are expected to have the rest of their absentees back for the opener.
“We know who we’re playing. We kind of know when. We know where,” Perry said. “It’s a matter of being ready.”
There probably will be no Dineen or Josh Brown in the lineup the next time the Oilers and Kings play, although a Nurse suspension would change things. No Hutson, who’s ineligible to participate in the playoffs. Maybe no Max Jones or Kasperi Kapanen, either.
They’ll be replaced by a couple of transcendent superstars, a 70-goal scorer from the 2023-24 regular reason and playoffs and a couple upgrades on defence. Perhaps more.
The way the Oilers see it, Danault might wish he and Kings could play the so-called B squad again.
“We have a high sense of belief in this group,” Brown said. “We think we can do something special.”
I just railed on Dunno last night for his horrid PP production, he's my hero now that he said that and threw shade on the Oilers. And if Brown thinks this team can beat anyone anywhere, I think there are some better NHL teams out there who may have something to say about that.
