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Jim Hiller, Head Coach of the Los Angeles Kings (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Where Would Oilers Be Without Jim Hiller’s Infamous Challenge?

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Brian Swane | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 8:55 AM ET

In Game 5 of the Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center on Thursday (May 29), the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars by a score of 6-3 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Oilers won the last four games of the best-of-seven series against Dallas by an average margin of 3.5 goals to continue their scorching hot play during the 2025 NHL Postseason.

Over the last 14 games, Edmonton has gone 12-2 while outscoring its opponents 58-33. Nine of the Oilers’ 12 victories have been by a margin of at least two goals, including all four against the Stars.

Edmonton will now have home advantage against the Florida Panthers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, which gets underway on Wednesday (June 4) at Rogers Place. The Oilers are favoured to win the championship series, and why wouldn’t they be? With the way they’re playing right now, the Oilers appear unstoppable.

Given that, it’s almost impossible to believe this is the same team that just over five weeks ago was teetering on the brink and nearly went over the edge.

Oilers Were in Deep Trouble

In the opening round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Edmonton fell behind the Los Angeles Kings after losing Games 1 and 2 on the road by scores of 6-5 and 6-2, respectively.

Back home for the third game, Edmonton desperately needed a win to avoid digging itself a 3-0 hole. But with less than seven minutes remaining in the third period, the Oilers trailed 4-3.

At that point, things looked bleak in Oil Country. Los Angeles had been the superior team in the series. If the Kings went up 3-0, they weren’t looking back.

Then came a moment that will go down in Southern California hockey infamy, and quite possibly go on to live in Canadian hockey lore.

Hiller’s Dubious Decision

At 13:18 of the third, Oilers forward Evander Kane put the puck behind Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper following a wild scramble in the Los Angeles crease.

While the call on the ice was no goal due to a kicking motion, the play went to a review by the officials who determined it was a good goal.

But there was still some question as to whether Kuemper was interfered with on the play. At least, there was in the mind of Kings coach Jim Hiller.

While there was no clear evidence to suggest he would be successful, Hiller elected to challenge the play. It was a baffling decision that left the entire hockey world scratching its collective head.

To no one’s surprise, the challenge failed, resulting in a power play awarded to the Oilers, who needed all of 10 seconds with the man-advantage before Evan Bouchard ripped a shot past Kuemper to put Edmonton in front.

The Oilers added a pair of empty-net goals for a 7-4 victory, and the rest is history: From the moment Hiller’s challenge failed to now, Edmonton has scored nearly twice as much as the opposition and suffered defeat just twice.

Looking Back on the Challenge

In Hiller’s media availability following Game 3, the first question to the Los Angeles coach was, of course, why challenge Kane’s goal?

“We got a good look at it, we took plenty of time, and we thought it was goalie interference, so we challenged it,” Hiller explained. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose on those, and tonight we lost, and it cost us big time, no other way around it.”

The Kings’ coach was then asked about weighing the risk of putting Edmonton on the power play rather than just deciding to move forward with the score knotted at 4-4.

“All those things go into it, and that’s why, again, we take a timeout, we understand the situation, we don’t want to give them a power play, but clearly we felt that that challenge was in our favour. The league disagreed, you move on. The next step would have been for us to kill the penalty, that didn’t happen either, so it’s a tough stretch for us, no question. That’s hockey, that’s playoff hockey, especially.”

Hiller deserves credit for how he addressed the challenge. He didn’t get into it with the media, but was forthright and honest, acknowledging he messed up, while providing an explanation for his decision-making.

Granted, at the time he was answering those questions, his team was still up 2-1 in the series. He could never have imagined in his worst nightmares what was about to happen.

Oilers Have Been Unstoppable

It’s crazy how things turn out. What if Hiller hadn’t given Edmonton’s explosive power play (which converted at a 38.5% success rate in the series against Los Angeles) that chance to take the lead? Or even more, what if Hiller’s challenge had actually been successful? Yes, there didn’t appear to be any reason that the goal would be waived off, but then again, we’ve seen officials make a lot of calls that don’t make sense during the 2025 Postseason.

But that’s not what happened. The Oilers were given a lifeline, and now they’re flourishing. Not even the Panthers, who have been a juggernaut in their own right this postseason, can match the Oilers’ record over their previous 14 games.

You’ve got to be good to be lucky, and lucky to be good. The Oilers got a huge break with Hiller’s coaching gaffe, and they have subsequently proven to be a tremendous hockey team. Maybe even the best. We’ll find out soon.