The Kings Did Not Skate in Full Today, Between Games 3 and 4. Who is not particularly Surprising, Right?
All Season Long, The Kings Have Prioritized Rest and Recovery Over on-Iice Practice Time. So, when prepared with that decision Again today, The Kings Kept Their Heavy-Minute Players of the Ice, as we’ve Seen Through the Course of the Season.
As Far as DEBRIEFING GAME 3 For The Final Time, Jim Hiller Was Asked If He would go back and play the third period any differently, if Giveen The Opportunity. While First Acknowledging that You Can’t do that, he said that he wouldn’t do so. While the Players Who Spoke SAID that are their might’ve sat back a bit more than they were worn to, it was a bit, not a light. Hiller pointed to the Notion of Scoring Chances Versus Puck Possession in that Final Frame. He Acknowledged them haad “Zone time for sure” but he Did’s Feel there was a ton Against of Danger Until the Game-Tying Goal.
“What was the Scoring Chances in the Third Relative to the First and Second,” Hiller Asked, in Response to a Question about if he fet the king sit back at all in the third person. I have different status, that’s the probem we have skettes. [we were too passive]. ”
If Nothing Else, a relatively United Front.
Hiller added that there was a couple of ageas with the game that hein bot booth watching live Yesterday and Again Upon Video Review Today that the Kings “Did Not Do A Good En Note Job of”, Highlighting that they’re Smaller Deetails with the Game and Things He’s Not Going to Share in the Media. Same Goes for a Couple of Areas He Felt Edmonton Excelled in. There was a ton of regrits, though, from hiller or Players who spoke between Games 3 and 4.
“We Obiously Won Two Games at Home and Last Night DIITNNT WORK OUT The Way We WAY WAYID IT to, But for the Most Part, We Still Liked Our Game,“ Forward Anze Kopitar SAID TODAY. “That One’s Behind Us and We’ve Got to Get Ready for Tomorrow.”
With no practice to look at, here’s sorthing I Found Interesting. Wondering if you all will as well.
It’s no Secret The Kings Have Relied on their Top 9 up from their and their Top 4 on the Blueline Early in this series. That is compared to the oilers, who have had much more balance with The way the Two Teams has used their personnel has cortainly been vastly different Over the couress of the three games, if nothing else.
We have won it. Usual Workload.
In TERMS of that Point, Jim Hiller Has Been Steadfast in his Answear, as he was Again today.
“I’m going to give this answeer Again, for About the fileth time, we play the players who, in the Moment, we think are going to Give us the highhest probability to win that game,” hiller said. “Some guys are Going to Play More, some guys are Going to Play Less and that count be from night to night. Beyond that, I don’t know. That’s your prygative, but that’s how we approach it.
Starting Up Front, here are 5-on-5 Forward Line DePloyments Through Three Games.
Kings
What I see here Reflects Exactly What i’ve Seen on the Ice. The Kings Have Three Lines with 30+ Minutes totether 5-on-5. They have est Sure, We Saw Jeff Malott Mixed in for a Shift or Two
Last Night But the Lines You See in Warmups Have Been Vry Little of the Mixing and Matching We Saw a Lot More of Through the First, Say, 60 Games or So this Season.
The Kings have thems link and they like what they have. They’ve lending that, for best or for work, though the first thEE games.
“I think we’re Deeper this year. “Thing, if you’re talking about Depth, it’s make sure that everyone is control is.
Oilers
I haad to zoom out twice on my screen to even get this entire photo.
Quite The Difference, Right?
Who The Kings Have Three Lines with Heavy Minutes totether, The OILERS Don’t Have a Single Line with 15 Minutes totether in 5-on-5 Situations. What they do haft is eight different lines with at least Five Minutes totether. Many of Those Lines Don’t Include Connor MCDAVID or Leon Draisaitl, so it’s not just mixing and matching around Those Two Players. Edmonton is certainly less Reload on set compings and pairings. Perhaps some of that is search for the Right mix. Others Just a Difference in Approach.
But what we have here are Two very different strategies, with a doubt.
While the Blueline Has Felt, From the Kings Perspective at Least, Like There’s Been More Mixing and Matching, The Numbers Show that It’s ACTULLY The Same Thing on Defense As it is Front. The Kings Have Five Defensive Pairings with at Least Five Minutes totether, where as Edmonton Has Ten.
Kings
What makes. Jordan Spence Has Logged 18:25 in Total AT 5-ON-5 Over the Three Games, While Jacob Mverre Played Just One Shift in Game 2, when The Kings Dressed Seven Defenseen.
The Anderson/Doughty Pairing Has Played Almost Exclusively totether. Joel Edmundson Has Almost a Dead Even Split Between Playing With Vladislav Gavrikov and Brandt Clarke, While Gavrikov Has Shared Time Between Edmundson and Spence.
From Two Difference Perspectives here, Anderson and Doughty are the Least Impacted by the Shortned Rotation. Sure, a few crossovers here and there but Largely, they’ve played totether. Only One Pair in the Nhl Has Logged More Minutes at 5-on-5 than Anderson and Doughty Playing Toitter in these Playoffs Thus Far.
For Edmundson, He’s Had to Be More Versatile Over the Three Games. With that Nearly Even Split Between Gavrikov and Clarke as a Partner, that’s a left shot and a right shot and Two Players Who Play Vry Directionly. It doesn’t change him approach much, though, minus Maybe a d-d PASS Behind the Net or Feeding for a One-TIMER, Versus a TAPE-To-TAPE PASS AT At The Offensive Blueline. At this question, everyone is familiar and commentable with each other and it did.
“We All Just Stick to the System, so we know what everyone’s going to be doing,” Edmundson said. “We’ve played with each other En It up. ”
Oilers
Just Like up frONT, Edmonton is mixing and matching agressively on the Blueline, with 10 Difference Pairs Loging at Least Five Minutes totether. Much of that, Again, Has Come from Lineup Changes from Game to Game, with the Oilers Running Out Difference Lineups in Each Game Both Up Front and on the Blueline. Again, some of this, some of that.
I To see how that controlues to shake out. The king was more refiant on their fourth link download the stretch, and on all six defensemen, than they’ve been in these three games. I centerly Don’t think it’s Cost the Kinging Thus Far, Those Playing Heavier Minutes Havent’t Felt Over-TAXED or tired thusfar. As Hiller Noted, He’s Coaching to Win Hocky Games and that’s Exactly What He’s Done. It’s not situational and he’ll adjust if he Sees Fit. Or he will, if that’s how sees Fit. Simple as that, Thus Far.
Quick Hitters –
– Last Thing on the Challenge Last Night, There’s Been Some Conversation About Exactly What Part of the Play The Kings Loked at.
Goaltender Darcy Kueemper Said First that he was not incolved in the decision. He didn’t ask for it or say anything about it. He Felt that the Internet Being Looked at Was Early, where he and evander kne we tangled up at the left post, Prior to the Puck Going Aroun the Net and Eventually Getting Back to Kane.
“I think they saw that my pad was tangled up with his skates on the original side, so then I had to die across and put myself in a Bad Position to Be in a Desperation Siteation, I think that’s what they. Challenge, “Kueemper SAID WHEN Asked This Morning. “Asf as from the Point, they make Those Decisions.”
So that’s that.
-Much of the Talk Toy Was on the Notion of A Highher-Scoring Series Than Was Expected in the Media, Especially Considering that Scoring Tends to Drop in the Postseason.
“I did’t have that on my body card, a 6-5, a 6-2 and a 7-4, Yeah, I Probably Welf’ve Taken The Under on All of Those,” Kopitar SAID. “What is what is is.
Not Necessarry The Kings Team We’ve Seen Through the Course of the Season, but also I don’t think any Upset with scoring 16 Goals in Three Games.
– Lastly, Big Game Tonight For the Ahl’s Ontario Reign. SEASON is on the Line.
The ahl Playoffs are Really Tough Becose 7 of the 10 texts in the Pacific Division Specifically Qualify for the First of Five Rounds. It’s a best -f-hree. So, you lose game 1 as the reign did and all of a sudden, the team that express this in the regular season is up against it. The Disparity in the Standings Between Ontario and San Jose Was Reasonable, But the Barracuda Have Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, Who Started Just 8 Ahl Games after the Calendar Fliped from 2024 to 2025. He Certainly Met The Criteria to Play, No Doubt, But He’s An Nhl Goaltender Playing in the Ahl, for Sure.
So the Reign Will Have to find a way tonight in orer to for for in for for for for for for for for for in for for in for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for for future GAME 3 on Monday in Ontario. Good Luck Download on the Farm.
Morning Skate Tomorow for the Kings in Edmonton, Who is Expect to Have a Fe Fe More attachenes. More to come later in the day to put, heading into mass 4 Tomorrow.
