LA Kings

As I begin to reflect back on the 2021-22 season, I keep looking back to May 13 as a benchmark for how far things truly have come. May 13, 2021.

A few ideas in the works for that time of the year, with some much-needed rest and relaxation to be scheduled as well. I’m hopeful you were all able to enjoy that coverage and the insight and information provided across the course of a full schedule for the first time since 2019. But his words summarized the approach of the small picture and the big picture, with a look ahead to what’s to come, and perhaps the difficult work that lies ahead to take the next step forward. It was a different job for me, being in the office full-time, outside of the bubble, with certain elements helping the product here on LAKI, and others I think holding it back. Despite a rash of injuries that had the Kings among the NHL’s Top 5 in terms of man games lost, especially on the blueline, a resilient and structured group found a way to reach the postseason. a few areas of my own I’d like to improve with site coverage for next season, but without the community here sticking to it, those improvements would be for naught. The Kings had to play games that late due to COVID rescheduling, games that were lame-duck games for the Kings, playing against a team fighting for the Presidents’ Trophy. They lost the pair of games against the Avalanche by a combined 11-1 score, games that were not competitive between teams in two different places, with different motivations, in their final two games of the regular season. He ended his opening answer from last night’s press conference by noting that the 2022-23 season starts today and that from his experience, it’s going to be a tough one. There was obvious sadness and disappointment in the room last night, publicly personified by Anze Kopitar. His emotions allowed him to get out just five words when asked about Brown, holding back the emotions as best as he could, a picture of the friendship the two have forged over the last 16 years. The LA Kings boarded a flight to Edmonton to prepare for Game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 365 days time, the Kings went from playing meaningless, scheduled games to being on the verge of the organization’s first playoff series victory since 2014. Brown will break that trend and start a new one, with three of his current teammates to follow when their time comes. The LA Kings lost the second of two games in Colorado to close out their season.

Coach Todd McLellan said that he saw growth not only in the team's rookies and second-year players, but also among some of its veterans. That seemed to be ...

On defense, Brock Faber returned to the Olympics and excelled at the NCAA level, while north of the border Brandt Clarke made himself a favorite for the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the Ontario Hockey League’s top defenseman. Francesco Pinelli impressed at Kings’ rookie camp last summer and scored above a point-per-game clip in the OHL this season. Edler had to battle back from a broken ankle but enjoyed a resurgence prior to the injury and showed resilience after returning. The Kings’ other RFA forwards were either bottom-six or depth players this season, and the Kings will likely focus on adding a top-six caliber winger. In Edmonton, an injury to 2016 Calder Trophy frontrunner Connor McDavid derailed the Oilers’ campaign in McLellan’s first season, but they came within one win of the conference finals the following year. Coach Todd McLellan said that he saw growth not only in the team’s rookies and second-year players, but also among some of its veterans.

Eventually the Oilers broke through when Connor McDavid set up Cody Ceci for the ice-breaking goal 13:15 into the period. With the otherworldly performance of ...

Connor McDavid would strike late in the third period, scoring with 3:53 to go in the game. With the help of the long change, the Oilers applied heavy pressure and pinned the Kings in their own zone for much of the 20 minutes. In a hard fought battle, the Kings came up on the losing end of a tightly contested 2-0 Oilers victory in Game 7.

hello! connor mcdavid lays a big hit on sean durzi 22 seconds into the game.

On the Oilers’ play in game seven: “I thought we tried to put an emphasis on playing the game right. I think that type of mindset, when you see people play through stuff, it is contagious and they’re a big reason, a huge reason, why we’re at where we’re at which is we’re advancing to round number two.” Like we talked about, it’s not just on Connor and Leon, but they sure did a heckuva job to push in the right direction and a lot of other guys filled in the gaps and got the job done. I had experience with guys in the American League, or guys I had been around in Edmonton, but we wanted to coach with our eyes and give guys opportunities, fair opportunities, to allow them to show us what they could do,and couldn’t do. We do it for the fans, the people that support us, that spend a lot of money watching us in these games and really cheering us on when it’s not going so well, or when it’s not going our way. On the relief of scoring the second goal: “I thought we had a lot of chances to make it 2-0 even late in the second and early in the third. Obviously, we play within our group, we play for each other and our team, for the guys in the room, but we also do it for the city. On enjoying the moment of a game seven, it being his first: “To be honest, I wasn’t really approaching it like a game seven. On McDavid: “He’s the best player in the world and I think he showed that in the last two games. On the Oilers playing a complete game offensively and defensively: “It feels good to do it in that fashion. On the Oilers defensive play, what changed to in games six and seven: “I think it had a lot to due with work and dedication to what we were doing down the stretch. I thought we really bought in the last couple games, played desperate and showed we can be a tough team to beat.”

Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist as the Edmonton Oilers advanced through to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 2-0 Game 7 victory ...

The Oilers finally got some insurance with 3:53 left in the third on a terrific individual effort from McDavid, who drove behind the net before sending his second backhand attempt into the net for his fourth goal and league-leading 14th playoff point. "It feels good to do it in that fashion," McDavid said of the shutout. To win a Game 7 before home fans who gave us a boost before the drop of the puck, that was an incredible feeling and hopefully it'll stick around for the next round." "The last couple of years with no fans has sucked, nobody in the building was disappointing. We're happy to move on to the second round, but that is all we did, survived another day." "But that being said, it is just one round.

After Game 7 loss, 11 Kings have new experiences to build on. One of the team's most experienced calls it a career.

You have the (Wayne) Gretzky generation then you’ve got the Brown-Kopitar generation.” We have kids that are the same age and played hockey together and stuff. “The hurt in the locker room was deep, team-wise,” McLellan said. “They got a step up on us every shift and we were receiving for almost 20 minutes straight,” he said. 9. Much has been made of the lessons the younger players would be absorbing from this playoff run. “This word, ‘experience,’ has come up the whole freaking playoffs,” McLellan said. Fittingly, Brown had the most hits in Game 7 among Kings forwards with five, tied with Carl Grundstrom. We got a good lesson in dealing with that and we’d like not do that again.” Bringing younger players in and relying on the older veteran players. “I’m going to miss him a lot,” Kopitar said. “And that was the positive throughout the year. “Now there’s the other side of the coin where the organization, four years ago, came up with a plan about transforming the team, changing the way we play.

Connor McDavid is built differently, finishing with 14 points in seven games played and SIX multi-point performances, becoming the second player in NHL history ...

The Kings weren’t there for the experience. We weren’t just here to gain experience and when you’re all in, and you want to win and you don’t, it’s disappointing,” Todd McLellan said in the post-game. All that McLellan said was the truth. After that goal, you could feel the life sucked of the Kings squad, and you knew the inevitable was coming. McDavid had one of the best players I’ve ever seen since becoming a hockey fan. The LA Kings season ended on Saturday night with a 2-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7, their first loss in a playoff series’ seventh game since losing to the Colorado Avalanche in 2002.

On Saturday, three NHL teams were eliminated in Game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs: The Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings and Boston ...

For now, at least, there’s good fun to be had in being a Kings fan again. The Kings have a few key holdovers from their Cup-winning seasons, but they’re a team in transition between the stars of past years and stars-to-be in the years ahead. Otherwise, the Kings still will be able to depend on star center and captain Anze Kopitar next season, as well as a healthy veteran blueliner Drew Doughty, who missed their entire first round with an injury. The Kings may not have been the Edmonton Oilers in Round One this year, but L.A. is a different animal at this stage in their competitive cycle. In Boston, there was disappointment and melancholy, given the expectation star center Patrice Bergeron may have played his final game. Quick will enter next season in the final year of his lengthy contract, and Blake may choose to start actively looking for someone younger and with the ability to thrive in a platoon netminding system.