The Kings simply set out to win a playoff series for the first time in a decade, but they’ve already created themes of resilience, reversal and retribution as they evened their matchup and pickpocketed home ice from the talent-rich Oilers ahead of Friday’s Game 3 at home.
“Coming out of Edmonton, a super-loud barn with a great fan base, to get one here is huge for us. That was the emphasis for us, to take back home-ice advantage,” said forward Quinton Byfield, who had two assists, including the primary one on the overtime game-winner.
That vital goal was deposited off a partial breakaway by captain Anze Kopitar, whom Byfield –– along with every other eyewitness and statistical measure –– said set the tone with a goal, two assists and increased physicality.
Yet Kopitar was not alone, as the Kings inverted the narrative from Monday’s Game 1 that saw Edmonton’s top players incinerate their defense while their top four and top six were both stuck in first gear, looking like Priuses in a Formula 1 grand prix.
In Wednesday’s Game 2, Kopitar dominated, bookending the game with a brilliant interception that led directly to the first of two goals for Adrian Kempe and a savvy play to eviscerate Darnell Nurse’s lax defense before beating Stuart Skinner to send the Kings southbound with an enormous victory.
“The players of that caliber, they just understand the game and they process the game so fast, you can only marvel at it,” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller said. “Because nobody’s taught them that. They’ve had that. They figured that out all on their own. And the beauty of Anže is he does that with the puck and without the puck. He does it on both sides. He realizes, anticipates and gets to the right spot.”
Kempe had his second straight two-point night, putting him on track to pace the Kings in postseason scoring for the third straight year, all in series against Edmonton. Phillip Danault recovered both game-to-game and in-game, as he shrugged off a poor defensive performance in Game 1 to help curb Connor McDavid’s production from five assists to just one while also factoring into a penalty kill that reduced damage from three Edmonton power-play goals to one. Danault was also leveled by a thunderous check by Zach Hyman (who scored his NHL-leading fourth goal of the playoffs), only to finish the game with vigor after a brief trip to the dressing room.
In addition to a trio of two-time Stanley Cup champions, the Kings have Danault and his linemate Viktor Arvidsson, both of whom had brushes with glory in losses in the Final in 2020 with Montreal and 2017 with Nashville, respectively. Among Nashville’s finalists was Kevin Fiala, albeit with a broken leg, and he notched a pivotal goal Wednesday. Hiller said that sort of prior experience helped manage an atmosphere charged with emotion for participants and observers alike.
“Veteran leadership ––guys who have won, guys who have been to the (Stanley Cup Final), we’ve got a number of those guys, too –– can really make a difference in that situation,” Hiller said.
Kopitar joins penalty-kill specialist Trevor Lewis and No. 1 defenseman Drew Doughty among the two-time Cup winners from 2012 and 2014 competing for the Kings again in 2024. Doughty and partner Mikey Anderson –– who came up with a magnificent diving block on the goal line to prevent a certain goal in Wednesday’s first period –– bounced back as well.
Doughty scored a critical goal late in the first after Edmonton had halved its deficit, with his breakaway tally signifying his first playoff marker since 2016. The Kings missed the cut between 2019 and 2021, with Doughty absent from 2022’s first round after undergoing wrist surgery.
“He’s just such a big-game player. You know his history: the Stanley Cups, the [two Olympic] gold medals,” Hiller said. “He’s just a guy you win with. Everybody who’s ever played with him, on all his teams, just knows that if it’s a big game, Drew’s going to be there.”
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While Doughty’s willingness to give a little something extra to opponents had long since been established, Kopitar has thrown his weight around more and last year’s Lady Byng Trophy winner has even engaged in a bit of less-than-gentlemanly behavior. He, Kempe and Vladislav Gavrikov took turns shoving McDavid after the whistle, and McDavid also absorbed a big hit from the hulking Byfield.
The Kings made adjustments on the penalty kill and contained, in a relative way, the Oilers’ stars. Edmonton countered those adjustments, however, and its depth players came through repeatedly. The Kings had hoped to create a mismatch with their third line but it was the Oilers’ third line generating zone time at will and their fourth line burying two goals with low-profile defenseman Brett Kulak adding another.
“There’s a lot of momentum swings,” Byfield said. “It’s just how well you can handle it, the ups and downs, and how well you can sustain it. That’s just playoff hockey, that’s all I can say.”