The Kings were eliminated from 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night in Edmonton, falling 4-3 in Game 5. Despite a strong start to the game, the Kings were unable to maintain that level of play for the 60 minutes needed and again fell victim to the Oilers power play.
The Kings controlled the majority of play in the first period on Wednesday. Doubling up the Oilers in the shot department 10-5 and winning the slot shots battle 3-2, the Kings played the game on their terms by outhitting the Oilers 29-12. With all of those first period stats in favor of the Kings, it was the Oilers who still took the first lead of the game at the midway point of the opening 20. Breaking the ice 10:17 into the game was Evander Kane, who netted his second goal and third point of the series. Kane and the Oilers converted on line rush and entering the zone with numbers. Now trailing late into the first period, the Kings benefited from a fortuitous bounce and made no mistake with the opportunity. They say you earn your luck in sports and the first period favored the Kings in every way except the scoreboard, at least until 28 seconds remained in the period. A supposedly harmless Vladislav Gavrikov dump-in took an awkward and unexpected bounce off of the glass, kicked out to a wide open Alex Laferriere in front of a vacant net and the rookie buried his first career postseason goal into an open 24-square foot Oilers net.
The second period proved to be the difference in Game 5, even after starting the period on a high. The Kings began the period shorthanded and gained momentum with an impressive penalty kill. Riding the wave, the Kings took a 2-1 lead just over one minute after the kill to quiet the crowd. It was Viktor Arvidsson setting up Blake Lizotte for the lead 3:07 into the middle stanza with a beautiful zone entry pass. Lizotte cradled the puck, ripped it and beat Stuart Skinner on the low-blocker side for his first career postseason goal in his 15th career playoff game. The Kings lead lasted 3:36. After taking their second minor penalty of the game, the Kings found themselves on the penalty kill and this time could not keep the Oilers off the board. Taking 1:05 of the allotted two minutes of power play time, Connor McDavid fed Leon Draisaitl backdoor and despite an acrobatic glove save by David Rittich, Rittich’s glove completely crossed the goal line with the puck resulting in the game-tying goal. Another Kings penalty occurred just past the midway marker of the period and while the Kings technically killed off the two-minute penalty, the Oilers netted a goal just four second after the the conclusion of the minor to take the lead. Then, with 53 seconds left in the period it was deja vu all over again. Five seconds after a Kings penalty concluded, the Oilers again scored before the player could rejoin play. Zach Hyman was credited with the goal after knocking in the puck that was on the goal line after a point shot from Evan Bouchard deflected off of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on its way to the net.
Enter period three and the 20 minutes flew by without many whistles. Trailing by a pair late in the game, the Kings pulled Rittich and made things interesting with a 6-on-5 goal from Adrian Kempe with 2:18 remaining in the game. Kempe redirected a point shot from Matt Roy past Skinner for his fourth goal and fifth point of the series. Unable to find the back of the net once more, the Kings fell 4-3 and were eliminated from the playoffs in five games.
Rittich made his second consecutive start of the series and stopped 22 of 26 Oilers shots.
