1. Failed to take command of series
Leading 2-1 in the series, the Kings took a 3-0 first-period lead in Game 4 and had the Oilers on the ropes with a chance to push NHL scoring champion Connor McDavid and company to the brink of playoff elimination. The Kings, however, were unable to hold the lead and allowed the Oilers to tie the game with three goals in the second period. Matt Roy scored at 4:28 of the third period to give the Kings a 4-3 lead, but Evander Kane tied it with 3:02 left. Oilers forward Zach Hyman scored in overtime for the 5-4 victory. Letting the Oilers off the hook proved costly for the Kings. The series returned to Edmonton and the Oilers dominated Game 5, winning 6-3. Back in Los Angeles for Game 6, the Kings lost their third straight and were eliminated.
2. Inability to kill penalties
The Kings had no answer for the potent Oilers power play. Edmonton entered the series with the best power play in NHL history, converting at 32.4 percent in the regular season. Against the Kings, the Oilers were even better, 9-for-16 (56.3 percent). The Kings couldn't get a big kill when needed because the Oilers simply had too many weapons on the top unit with McDavid, Hyman, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard at the point with his powerful shot. And on the rare occasion the Kings were able to keep the Oilers first unit from scoring, their second unit scored a big power-play goal in Game 5. Their inability to kill penalties limited how physically the Kings could play against the Oilers for fear of putting them on the power play.
RELATED: [Complete Oilers vs. Kings series coverage]
3. Korpisalo needed to be better
The Kings traded a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2024 draft along with two-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for goalie Joonas Korpisalo and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov on March 1. Korpisalo and Pheonix Copley alternated starts at the end of the regular season, but it was Korpisalo's net in the playoffs. He was excellent early to help the Kings take a 2-1 series lead but his play dipped after. Korpisalo gave up three goals in the second period of Game 4, which was the turning point in the series. He was then pulled after giving up four goals on 19 shots in Game 5 and allowed another five goals in Game 6. Korpisalo finished with a 3.77 goals-against average and .892 save percentage in the series.
4. Couldn't exploit Oilers rookie goalie
Stuart Skinner earned the No. 1 goalie spot ahead of Jack Campbell during the regular season and got the call for the Oilers in the playoffs despite not having any NHL postseason experience. Skinner had his moments but was otherwise average in the series (3.43 GAA, .890 save percentage). Outside of Game 3, when they chased him with three goals on 11 shots, the Kings were unable to get the best of Skinner. The Oilers were the highest-scoring team in the NHL (325) but they also gave up more goals (260) than any other playoff team outside of the Florida Panthers (273). They Kings unable to exploit that even after Skinner gave away the tying goal in Game 6.
5. Got completely healthy too late
The Kings started the series without two of their best offensive players in Kevin Fiala, who had 72 points (23 goals, 49 assists) in 69 games, and Gabriel Vilardi, who had 41 points (23 goals, 18 assists) in 63 games. They then lost Blake Lizotte for three games after he sustained a lower-body injury in Game 2. Lizotte had 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 81 games. Vilardi returned from an upper-body injury in Game 2 and had four points (two goals, two assists) in the series. Fiala was back in Game 4 and had six points (one goal, five assists) in three games. Lizotte was able to return for Game 6, which was the first time the three were in the lineup together. The Oilers, meanwhile, were healthy to start the series and remained that way pretty much throughout, only losing forward Mattias Janmark in Game 1 after the forward blocked a shot.
