OILERS OVERTIME WOES AGAINST KINGS CONTINUE
Kopitar's breakaway marker is only latest blow as playoff series heads to Los Angeles
If you're keeping score, and that's the main point in the playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers have won the last two series against the Los Angeles Kings.
But after Kings captain Anze Kopitar's overtime breakaway winner Wednesday at Rogers Place, the Oilers have now lost four of five games to L.A. that needed extra time.
In 2022, Adrian Kempe got the winner against Mike Smith in Game 5 here. In 2023, Alex Iafallo, now in Winnipeg as part of that Pierre-Luc Dubois trade, and Trevor Moore beat Oilers goalie Stu Skinner in OT. The only Oilers goal in overtime in the three spring playoffs was Zach Hyman's snipe on Joonas Korpisalo last April.
So tell us about drawing up that play with Kopitar for the game winner, Hiller was asked Thursday morning before the Kings flew back to L.A., the series tied 1-1, with Game 3 on Friday night.
“Planned? Uh, no,” Hiller said with a laugh after Mikey Anderson's clear up the boards went off Quinton Byfield, with the puck pinballing to Kopitar, in behind everybody. It was Kopitar's 25th playoff goal and 80th point in 94 games.
“I had an angle (from the bench) as the puck was going up the wall and I heard it hit something and suddenly Kopy was going in (alone). Great finish. You can't overstate that.”
Though Kopitar got the last goal, Drew Doughty also got one in the last two minutes of the first period to make it 3-1, also on a breakaway, the puck rolling off his stick and through the legs of Skinner. Skinner was expecting a Doughty backhand move that never came. Doughty was outstanding in his 29:07, so almost half the game.
“That was huge, that felt so good (Kopitar winner). It was a little, I don't know if embarrassing is the right word, but disappointing in Game 1, getting smoked like that, getting dominated,” Doughty told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
“Drew's just a big-game player. You know his history, the Stanley Cups, the gold medals,” said Hiller post-game Wednesday.
“It's inspirational for me, watching Kopy, watching Drew, seeing Trevor Lewis. They're two-time Stanley Cup champions, playing at these levels. If I can talk about Trevor, there's a reason he's still in the game. He knows how to do it right. Players get sick of hearing it and coaches are always saying it, but those guys know what to do when it matters. Nice to look down the bench and see them there.”
Same with Byfield, who used to be Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson's client when Jackson was a player agent, was plus-4 and had two assists, including the primary one on the Kopitar winner.
“Yeah, I'll take credit for that,” said Byfield jokingly. “I saw Mikey, saw the puck bounced on him and it got a little high ( boards). I was thinking `no icing' and just tried to get a stick on it.”
All in all, a big-moment play by Byfield, who finished with 20 goals and 55 points this season.
“He's a playoff style player.
He's big, he's quick and has lots of energy,” said Hiller. “To be honest, I probably didn't play him enough in the first two games (16:38 in Game 1, 17:27 in Game 2). He can play 20 minutes. He's got that in him. Really, he's effective both ways. He tracks back hard and makes it hard on the Oiler rushes.”
Kings' goalie Cam Talbot has given up 10 goals on 75 shots in the first two games, obviously less than ideal. But there's such a thing as situational saves and Talbot's diving glove stop on
Leon Draisaitl on a late second-period Oilers power play was sensational. The goal would have given the Oilers a 4-3 lead going to the third.
“I know guys on the bench were saying, `That's the one we needed,'” said Hiller. “They're timely for a reason. Just the momentum, the energy that we took into the third period.”
The Kings dressed 12 forwards in Game 2 but winger Carl Grundstrom only played one 25-second shift in the opening period, and he wasn't hurt. Grundstrom, back from a lower body injury, got 10:49 in Game 1, but was a cheerleader Wednesday. Grundstrom doesn't kill penalties as a fourth-liner while Lewis and Blake Lizotte do. Hiller wouldn't say would he would do with his lineup for Game 3.
“I talked to Grunny ahead of time, telling him we would probably go with 11 forwards. He knew he wasn't going to play much,” said Hiller, who could have dressed Arthur Kaliyev for their dormant PP, which is now 0-for-5 in two games because Kaliyev is a shooter but he's fallen completely out of favour.
They could have dressed a seventh defenceman Wednesday in Jacob Moverare, but he's injury insurance. Actually, the best move would be to have Brandt Clarke, their former first-round pick, and an offensive defenceman to help with their power play. That's why they drafted Clarke but they don't feel his work away from the puck is good enough yet. Clarke was playing for their farm club against the Oilers' Bakersfield squad in the playoffs Wednesday with Clarke's Ontario Reign team beating the Condors 5-1 in the first-round matchup.