May 2nd, 2025
JC Clemas
Here it is: game 6. The Oilers entered Thursday night’s game with a 3-2 series lead after 3 straight wins. The Kings were tasked with finding some way to shift the momentum back in their favour and force the series to swing back to Los Angeles for a game 7. Shortly prior to this game kicking off, Vegas was able to take down Minnesota in their game 6. That meant that whoever wins this series would be facing their division winner in the 2nd round. Not exactly a prize for whoever advances. Game 6 was back in Edmonton, where the Oilers won games 3 and 4 to bring the series even. The Kings would have to muscle one out on the road, something they haven’t been very good at all season long. Let’s look at what went down in this one.
Period 1
A lot happened. Let me grind my way through this one.
Quinton Byfield opened the scoring just over a minute in. Kevin Fiala received a stretch pass at the blue line and made a perfect pass to the tape of Byfield to send in him alone. Byfield stickhandled, eventually landing on his forehand and tucking one by Skinner. Early lead for the Kings.
Under 2 minutes later, Edmonton answered back. Connor Brown got the puck at the high point after a scramble from both teams. He had enough time to let go of a shot, which happened to deflect in off the body of Adam Henrique. Tie game.
30 seconds later, the Kings’ productive 3rd line was sent out. Danault carried the puck into Edmonton’s zone before dishing one off to Brandt Clarke, who was streaking in on the right wing. He picked his spot right over the blocker of Pickard. Another early lead for the Kings.
6 minutes through the period, the Oilers were on the power play. From behind the net, Hyman sent a pass to McDavid, who was hugging the boards. McDavid fired a cross-ice pass from the boards to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at the inner hash marks in front of Kuemper. He went short-side to beat Kuemper. Another tie game.
2-2. Before the first commercial break. Someone, anyone, make a save.
With about 7 minutes left in the period, the Oilers had an offensive zone draw. It was won back to Darnell Nurse, who wristed one towards the net. While being tied up by Edmundson in the faceoff circle, Zach Hyman was able to read the shot and perfectly twist his body to throw his stick at the oncoming puck. It was a glorious tip that went toward the glove hand of Kuemper. Before he could even react, it was in his net. A lead for Edmonton.
That was all for the 1st. Quite a whirlwind.
Period 2
It really looked for a while like this was going to be an uneventful period. That was not the case.
After Drew Doughty hit the crossbar, the Oilers came back the other way. The puck was carried all the way into the offensive zone by Viktor Arvidsson, who then left it for Mattias Janmark. Janmark dished it to Podkolzin quickly, who fired it back where it came from, but it ended up with Darnell Nurse in the slot. The only thing standing between Nurse and Kuemper was Drew Doughty. Doughty opted to play for a potential pass, as no one was guarding Arvidsson.
Arvidsson was at the goal line, 10 feet away from the net.
Nurse was given all the time in the world to find his shot, and he did. Just another scenario that Drew Doughty could have played better. You could make a compilation video at this point.
A minute and a half later, a new clip was presented for that compilation video. The Oilers had a 2-on-1 with Henrique and Brown against Doughty. Mikey Anderson came back and started to hound Connor Brown, leaving Doughty to deal with the front of the net, as Frederic was also storming in. Instead, Doughty dove towards Brown, completely ignoring the guys in front, failed to block the pass, and Frederic tucked it in. 5-2.
The Kings did manage to get one back on a Jordan Spence one-timer from the slot, but that still made it a 5-3 game. We’ve seen some crazy 3rd periods in this series, though it was LA blowing the lead those times, not Edmonton. Maybe the Kings had a comeback in them?
Period 3
They didn’t. Anze Kopitar brought them within 1 late in the period, but they couldn’t get the last one and Connor Brown ended the game with an empty-netter. Goodbye, Kings.
Overall Thoughts
What do you even do as a Kings fan? I can’t imagine losing to the same team in the same playoff round for 4 years in a row. I mean, I also can’t imagine my team making the playoffs 4 years in a row, but that’s a completely different issue. The Oilers simply have their number. It seems unlikely that a team with McDavid and Draisaitl could ever lose in the 1st round again, unless they’re like 40. Do you, as the Los Angeles Kings, just strategically tank and make yourselves a Wild Card team so you can face someone else? If they were to ever beat Edmonton, it was this season. Their best option in my eyes is to avoid Edmonton in the 1st round at all costs from now on.
As I said, Edmonton just didn’t seem like a team that would lose in the 1st round. The experience that McDavid, Draisaitl, and the rest of the team have in the playoffs now is so valuable. They’ve experienced failure and they know what it takes to win. At any point, the two guys I mentioned can steal a game for you by themselves. That’s an unreal power to have on your team. The Kings were once again standing on the tracks while the train was coming through.
Stuart Skinner is never seeing the crease again these playoffs. Okay, maybe there’s a reality where Pickard absolutely stinks it up a couple times in a row and they have to default back to Skinner, but I think that’s a desperation move at this point. The Oilers went 0-2 in the games Skinner started this series. As soon as they sat him on the bench, they won 4 in a row. It’s quite funny that they didn’t feel the need to get a new goalie via trade this season. They didn’t see anyone as an upgrade over Skinner. Now, even their backup is an upgrade over Skinner. For real, though, you have to respect Pickard for stepping up when his team needed him. He probably didn’t expect to get this much usage right away in the playoffs, and he made the most of his time in goal. He wasn’t great by any means, but he played well enough to give his offense a chance to win games, and that’s really all McDavid and Draisaitl need.
Drew Doughty is so, so bad. He made a good play on the Kings’ 4th goal, but too little, too late. Back-to-back bad defensive coverages in the 2nd period is what pulled Edmonton away. Maybe he can take the offseason to get back into form a little. Or maybe he’s past the point of being a productive player. In a way, it’s sad. But not really for Canucks fans.
Andrei Kuzmenko Recap
Andrei Kuzmenko ended the series with 6 points in 6 games. It was far from being his fault that the team failed again. My hopes are that this is enough to earn him another NHL contract, and I think it would be. His time in Los Angeles has shown that with the right opportunity, he is still able to replicate the magic he produced in his rookie season in Vancouver.
It would be a real shame if he left for Russia again. At this point, there’s no really telling which way he’s leaning. It hasn’t really been an easy ride for him in the NHL, but after 3 seasons, it feels like it’s way too early to give up on his time in North America. He found success with the Kings, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they re-signed him. They’ve struggled to find someone who can consistently function on the top line with Kempe and Kopitar. Kuzmenko has done it well. Hopefully, we’re still seeing 96 in the league come October.
Edmonton/Vegas
Edmonton’s win in game 6 booked them a date with the Vegas Golden Knights in round 2. This is pretty much a Canucks fan's worst nightmare. Who are you even supposed to morally cheer for in this series? No matter the outcome, you just have to hope really hard that the team that makes it out of the Central can take care of them. Hate-watching aside, Oilers/Knights should be a very good series. The two teams match up well against each other. They’re two powerhouses who most people have as serious Cup contenders this season. Plus, Vegas has actually demonstrated the ability to defeat Edmonton in the playoffs (2023), unlike the Kings. It should be competitive, and it would be a shock if it weren’t a long series.
This is where my coverage of individual games in these playoffs will end, though. I genuinely cannot stomach writing about a series between Edmonton and Vegas. I’m sure you understand.