Kings most to blame for series loss to Oilers

We noted Edmonton’s goaltending might not stand out, but compared to the duo that the Kings opted for this season, it might as well have been former Oilers Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr in his prime in the Edmonton crease.

Facing 36-year-old Cam Talbot, a former Oilers goaltender turned journeyman who has played for six teams since the start of the 2018-19 season, Edmonton wasn’t intimidated whatsoever. Despite Talbot’s respectable regular-season stats that included a 2.50 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage, he proved no match for Edmonton’s offensive juggernaut. In the first three games of the series, his goals-against average was a dismal 5.30, accompanied by a lackluster .861 save percentage.

For Kings head coach Jim Hiller, who took over on an interim basis after the termination of Todd McLellan in early February, Talbot’s subpar play was enough for him to decide to make a change and insert David Rittich between the pipes for Games 4 and 5. Rittich’s only previous postseason experience was a total of two games in which he surrendered five goals on just 22 shots. His personal fortunes didn’t improve, as he posted a .872 save percentage in the two games he faced the Oilers, both losses.

Right now, Kings general manager Rob Blake is under significant scrutiny for not taking more decisive action to bolster his team’s goaltending situation, and it’s warranted criticism. A team with genuine aspirations for a deep postseason campaign shouldn’t have relied on the tandem of Cam Talbot and David Rittich to carry them through, and they found that out the hard way.

Both Rittich and Talbot are set to become free agents when the calendar turns to July. Blake would be wise to pursue different options this summer.

Pierre Luc-Dubois once again was a no-show

He’s earned a reputation as one of the more scrutinized players in the National Hockey League in recent years, and the reasons are clear. Having just wrapped up the inaugural year of an extensive eight-year contract with the Kings, signed shortly after his move from the Winnipeg Jets, Dubois has regularly faced criticism for lackluster performances and appearing to coast after securing his lucrative new deal.

Dubois frequently clashed with the intense coaching style of John Tortorella during their tenure with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Winnipeg media didn’t hold back in calling him out for similar issues. Right now, his contract his viewed as an albatross that many are still wondering why it was even offered to him in the first place.

Throughout the five games against the Oilers, Dubois could only muster a single assist. His lackluster performances have already led to speculation that he could be a buyout candidate for the Kings.

The Kings lost the Special Teams battle 

In another exasperating setback for the Kings against the Oilers, they faltered on special teams, failing to capitalize on any of their 12 power-play opportunities. Meanwhile, the Oilers thrived, converting at nearly a 50% success rate with nine power-play goals in 20 opportunities. The Kings struggled to maintain discipline, and the Oilers capitalized on their lapses.

This was something that was lamented by Hiller following the series, via Derek Van Diest of NHL.com.

“I thought 5-on-5 we were pretty consistent outside of turning the puck over in Game 3, which got us into trouble,” Hiller explained. “When you evaluate this series, it was our inability to score on the power play and their ability to score on the power play. It’s a pretty simple write-up in this one. You saw one team execute on special teams and one team didn’t.”