As with every game, you take the good with the bad, so time to take a look at the pluses and the minuses in Game 1 against the Oilers for the LA Kings.
– First Period
The Kings just looked a bit timid in the opening 20 minutes, too tense or nervous to make a mistake, whatever you’d like to call it. The shots, scoring chances, and high-danger dances proved it, and the Oilers dominated the first period. Los Angeles had just two high-danger chances for in 5-on-5 play, and they were rather lucky to be trailing only by a pair of goals after the first frame.
+ Adrian Kempe
The Kings’ 40-goal man brought the visitors back within one goal in the third period off a rush after some great defensive work at the other end. Roy screened Skinner enough for Kempe to fire off a backhand snipe that the Oilers’ netminder never saw. On his second goal, credit to Byfield for getting the puck over to Kempe, who wristed a shot past Skinner to make it a one-goal game again.
– Powerplay’s early struggles
Anytime you are handed four powerplay opportunities through the first two periods, especially against the 20th-best PK unit during the regular season, you have to cash in. The Kings’ first powerplay was abysmal. They looked much better on their next two, but Los Angeles still showed a pass-first mentality rather than just simply putting the puck on net and seeing if a rebound lands on a stick in front. The fourth powerplay was short-lived after Iafallo’s high-sticking penalty put both teams at 4-on-4. Thankfully, they cashed in when it mattered most.
+ Korpisalo stands tall
Without the strong play of Joonas Korpisalo, this game could have very well ended in regulation. The LA Kings netminder kept the Oilers off the board after a barrage of shots on goal early in the overtime period until Los Angeles found their footing and eventually the overtime winner. In all, Korpisalo turned aside 37-of-40 shots, the second-most shots he’s seen in a playoff game, only to a whopping 88 shots in a 5-OT contest back in 2020.
– ESPN Broadcast
For those who had the ESPN feed, it was clear who they were going for. The Kings were an afterthought, as Buccigross lit up every time McDavid and Draisaitl had the puck on their sticks. On both of Kempe’s goals, Buccigross almost sounded disappointed with the goals. The ESPN crew also referred to Doughty as “the villain” after delivering a clean hit on McDavid, a promise he made good on.
+ Gavrikov played a great game
Vladislav Gavrikov quietly was the LA Kings’ best defenseman in Game 1. He seemed destined not to let McDavid beat the Kings, breaking up a 2-on-1 chance for the Oilers with a diving poke check that led to Kempe’s backhand goal at the other end. Later, with McDavid speeding into the attacking zone, Gavrikov pushed him to the outside to stop the scoring threat. I would expect a similar defensive assignment in Game 2.
+ No quit in this team
Despite playing in a hostile environment and falling behind by two goals twice in this game, the Kings found a way to give themselves a chance, scoring two late goals and forcing overtime.
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