What Went Wrong: What a Waste

Boy, did you idiots fuck this up!

Albert Einstein said it best: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." Another saying comes to mind: "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled is convincing the world that he doesn't exist." I have a play on that last one. The greatest trick that the Los Angeles Kings ever pulled was convincing everyone, myself included, that they would beat the Edmonton Oilers out this season.

I was upset when LA didn't get it done last year, but when I saw the standings in late March, the Kings were ahead of the Oilers. Oilers/Kings IV was inevitable, but the Kings would have the home ice most likely. They did get it, but it was more than that. LA had home ice, they were the best home team in the league, and the Oilers were weakened. Not in manpower, mind you, they had that. I'm talking about in spirit. The wins were not coming to Edmonton. The Oilers were ripe for the picking. LA had this.

Then the series started.

LA led 4-0, and I was set on laughing at the Oilers, but a funny thing happened: the game was tied at 5. LATE. OT was expected, and this was during the Avs/Stars OT in Game 2. Philip Danault prevented that. Kings win Game 2 more convincingly. Good. LA's up 2-0, putting the Oilers' backs to the wall. They should finish it; even if they do end up splitting the next two.

There was no split.

Game 3: Kings looked great, then the third period happened. A bad challenge from coach Jim Hiller gave Edmonton momentum. Game 4: Kings looked great, then the third period happened. Quinton Byfield proves that even the Avs aren't the worst when it comes to clearing pucks, and moments later, Evan Bouchard ties it up late. OT happens, but it was mostly Darcy Kuemper standing on his head stopping everything while the Kings couldn't piece three shots together. Draisaitl PPG ends it. But at least Game Five was back in the Kings' sanctuary, right?

Yeah, about that. Oilers burned it down. Another game where Kuemper stood on his head and got no help. In Game Six, Kuemper was out of gas, which happens with too much head standing. Kings made it close, but in the end, it's the same old song and dance.

This was the Kings' series to lose, and boy, did they lose it. They should have won this series in five games. Hell, an argument could be made that LA should have swept Edmonton. They started games but had problems finishing. They got away with it in Game One, but Games Three and Four had the same problem. This was somehow worse than last year, even though this year saw a longer series. The Kings had all of the advantages entering this series, but they still somehow can't beat the Oilers.

What's worse, they wasted the efforts of two key players:

Four goals, six assists, ten points. Those were Adrian Kempe's numbers during that series. That is legendary! Nearly two points per game, but because the Kings couldn't finish and kept messing about, it's wasted. Here's more damning evidence that this was a waste. Despite those great numbers from Kempe, he was a -8 for the series. That meant Kempe was on the ice a lot, and mostly for the Oilers' goals. That's not good. That's not on Kempe, though. That's on the whole team for not doing their jobs defensively.

Well, not the whole team.

You had one job, Kings! One job! Take care of Darcy Kuemper. You didn't do it. You didn't protect him. You left him to the wolves and hung him out to dry as he was doing his damnedest to keep you clowns in the game! We saw that overtime. Kuemper faced nearly twenty shots, while the Kings only had seven. Of course he was going to run out of gas! Look at Game Five! Kuemper standing on his head again, but LA did next to nothing. Ended up outshot by a 2-1 ratio. Finally, in Game Six, Kuemper just couldn't do it any longer. It's like he never left Arizona. That's what really angers me. Kuemper, just like he's done before, did what he was supposed to do. The help wasn't there. He may be in a different uniform, but he's still the Kuemperor who held the fort down and did his best in that 2022 Cup run for the Avs. So yeah, I'm gonna be extra protective when it comes to Darcy Kuemper.

So, Kings, what do you do now? What the hell do you do now? Honestly, I think the only thing the Kings should do is pray they never see the Oilers in the playoffs again. That, and learn how to actually help their goalie out. The Kings had this. This was supposed to be the charm, they were supposed to get past Edmonton, but no. They blew it. I feel like the Tyra Banks "We were all rooting for you!" clip should be immensely appropriate here; it really should be.