Kings' Fast Start Ends in Same Result

If the Los Angeles Kings were ever going to change the narrative of their rivalry with the Edmonton Oilers, this was the year to do so.

The Kings had lost to Oilers in the first round in each of the past three years, but there was reason to believe that this year could be different. Not only did they have home-ice advantage after posting the NHL's best home record this season (31-6-4), but they also entered the the playoffs relatively healthy while the Oilers dealt with a truck load of injuries. All the pieces seemed to be in place for the Kings to extract a bit of revenge, and yet, here we are.

After jumping out to a 2-0, lead, the Kings lost the next four games to lose the series in six games, culminating in a 6-4 road loss in Game 6 on Thursday night. Los Angeles has now lost to Edmonton in four-straight postseasons and hasn't won a playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014, the third-longest active drought in the league.

Looking back at this series, the turning point is abundantly clear. In the third period of Game 3, Kings head coach Jim Hiller challenged a goal by Oilers forward Evander Kane that brought the game to a 4-4 tie. The goal was upheld after review, Los Angeles received a penalty for delay of game and Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard scored the go-head goal 10 seconds into the power play. Of course, the rest is history.

The Kings also suffered from poor special teams play later in the series. They were phenomenal in that department to start out, scoring on five of 10 power play opportunities in the first two games while boasting a perfect penalty kill. From Game 4 onward, though, they only scored on one of their eight power play opportunities while allowing the Oilers to score on three of their six.

Finally, Los Angeles' lack of depth was a major problem throughout the series, and it was partially its own doing. Four defensemen - Drew Doughty, Mikey Anderson, Joel Edmundson and Vladislav Gavrikov - all averaged well over 20 minutes of ice time per game (Doughty averaging over 27), while all other defensemen rarely saw the ice. The fourth line - consisting of some combination of Alex Turcotte, Trevor Lewis, Jeff Malott and Samuel Helenius - also saw very little action, with all of those players averaging less than six minutes of ice time. It's hard to win with a much shorter bench than the opposing team.

The Kings have plenty of talent on their roster, but considering how they keep coming up short against the same opponent over and over again, it's clear something is missing.