The Los Angeles Kings want to get revenge on Connor McDavid.
The Oilers captain threw a big hit on Kings defenceman Mikey Anderson when the two teams met in Edmonton a few weeks ago. McDavid was given a two-minute penalty for boarding while Anderson left the game and didn’t return.
Anderson wound up missing a couple of games due to an undisclosed injury but returned for the final two games of Los Angeles’ regular season. He logged 23:52 in a Kings win over the Vancouver Canucks on April 10 and then played 15:39 in their season-finale victory over the Anaheim Ducks on April 13.
The Kings and Oilers are now set to face one another in the first round of the NHL playoffs, a rematch of last year’s first-round series that saw Edmonton edge out Los Angeles in seven games. Ahead of Game 1 in Edmonton on Monday, Kings defenceman Drew Doughty said that the team hasn’t forgotten about McDavid’s hit on Anderson and that they’ll take an opportunity to “smack” him if it comes.
Doughty was sidelined with a wrist injury during last year’s series, so this will be the former Norris Trophy winner’s first time playing in the playoffs since the 2017-18 season. Doughty also said earlier this week that he’s looking forward to the challenge of going up against the league’s best player.
“I’m excited for that opportunity,” Doughty said. “I love playing against him. It’s super difficult, but you’ve got to be on your toes at all moments. I’m starting to learn his game a little more from watching and playing against him, and I’m sure he’s learning me, too. So it’s going to be an absolute battle out there. But if we do our jobs the way we know we can, I think we’ll be a big factor into whether or not we win this series.”
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