What Went Wrong: 3rd Time Was Not the Charm
The Los Angeles Kings were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers for the third straight season, this time in five games
You know, this is getting monotonous.
I said this before when the Los Angeles Kings clinched a playoff spot this year. Two years ago, their playoff appearance was a happy accident. It came two years after they failed to qualify for the modified bubble playoffs in 2020. The Kings were happy to be there, but they managed to make it to Game Seven against the Edmonton Oilers. A team could build on that. A year later, the Kings got back in. They could take what they did a year prior, learn from it, and possibly advance. However, they would be ousted by the Oilers again, this time in six games.
This year was Take 3. Kings made it back, and they had the Oilers again. OK, they know the Oilers now. They mean business this time. The third time would be the charm. They would beat the Oilers, right?
Nope. Ousted again. This time, in five games. WTF?
What was supposed to be a case of the Kings learning from their past years ended up being a severe regression. The 2022 Kings had a lot of life. The 2023 team was a step slower than a year prior, but they still had some "oomph." This year's Kings? Oh boy. The word "lethargic" would be too nice. They just couldn't get it done at all, and if I had to point out the problems with the Kings in this year's go-around, I'll start with the obvious one.
As bad as Connor Hellebuyck was against the Avalanche, Cam Talbot was worse. There's a reason why Talbot got bounced around from team to team; he's just not reliable. Not one bit. He proved that in this series. Gave up six goals in Game One, four in Game Two (the one game he won), and six at home in Game Three. A grand total of 16 goals in three games, and a 5.30 Goals Against Average, which was higher than Hellebuyck's. Unlike the Winnipeg Jets (and I'll mention them again), the Kings benched their goalie and started David Rittich for the last two games, which ended up revealing the other problem the team had.
When Rittich got in, the goaltending improved, but the offense declined. Actually, it started to decline in Game Three, but it got worse after that. The Kings scored 13 goals in the series. Twelve of them were on the road. How do you score only once in two home games?! I know how--by having guys like Pierre-Luc Dubois on the team. True story; when I learned that the Kings traded Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo to get Dubois, my first thought was, "They gave up too much." Dubois has a reputation of being a bit on the lazy side and this season hasn't helped. He played all 82 games, but had 40 points. Seriously? Less than a point every other game. As for the playoffs, Dubois only had one point. Granted his point went in the net, but still, that's unacceptable. The Jets may have been humiliated in the playoffs, but even so, they are laughing at the Kings right now.
Now, Dubois wasn't the only player with tepid numbers in this series. None of the players really broke out. Five points led the team, with Adrian Kempe having that total--four of the points were goals. Quinton Byfield had four points (all helpers), and several others had three points. The Kings were a mess, especially compared to the last two playoff appearances. It's back to the drawing board for the Kings, but I do have one suggestion for them. Talbot and Dubois? They need to go. Now.
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About the Creator
Clyde E. Dawkins
I'm a big sports fan, especially hockey, and I've been a fan of villainesses since I was eight! My favorite shows are The Simpsons and Family Guy, etc.
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Thanks for another stellar recap you've shared!