4/26 Notebook – The day between + line and usage analysis and Quick Hitters on Scoring, Challenge, Regent

The kings did not go completely today, between the games 3 and 4.. What is not particularly surprising, right?

Throughout the season, the kings have priority in peace and recovery compared to the practice period on the ICE. When the kings presented this decision again today, they kept their heavy players away from the ice, as we saw it during the season.

With regard to the 3 -year debriefing, Jim Hiller was asked for the last time whether he would go back and the third period would play differently if he took the opportunity to do so. While he recognized that they couldn’t do that, he said that he would not do so. While the players who spoke, said that they might have refused a little more than they wanted, it was a bit, not much. Hiller pointed to the concept of goal opportunities towards puck ownership in this last framework. He admitted that they had a “zone time”, but he didn’t feel like giving a lot of danger to the goal of the game.

“What were the chances of scoring in the third and second,” said Hiller in response to a question of whether he had the feeling that the kings leaned back in the third period. “I have different statistics, that’s the problem we sometimes have. No, I wouldn’t say that (we were too passive).”

If nothing else, a relatively uniform front.

Hiller added that there were some areas in the game in which he could be seen both yesterday and again after video reviews, which the kings “did not do well enough”, which pointed out that she pointed out that it will not share minor details in the game and the things he will not share in the media. The same applies to a few areas in which Edmonton had emerged. However, there was not a lot of regret by Hiller or players who spoke between the games 3 and 4.

“We obviously won two games at home and last night we didn’t work the way we wanted it, but for the most part we still liked our game,” said striker Anze Kopitar today. “This is behind us and we have to prepare for tomorrow.”

Without seeing any practice, here is something that I found interesting. I wonder if they all do it.

It is no secret that the kings have rely on their top 9 and their top 4 on the Blueline at the beginning of this series. This is compared to the Oilers, which had much more balance within the four lines, but more inequality within the top 9. The way the two teams used their staff was certainly very different in the course of the three games if nothing else.

We didn’t see much of the fourth line in the three games and the same applies to defender Jordan Spence in the backend, while Brandt Clarkes were steady, but under his usual workload.

On this point, Jim Hiller was steadfast in his answer as it is today.

“I will give this answer again. For the fifth time we are playing the players who at the moment believe that we will give ourselves the highest probability of winning this game,” said Hiller. “Some boys will play more, some boys will play less and that could be from night to night. In addition, I don’t know. You can question the decisions if you are good or bad, that’s your priority, but that’s how we approach.”

At the top are 5-against-5 forward line reports in three games.

King

What I see here reflects exactly what I saw on the ice. The kings have three lines with 30+ minutes together 5-to-5. They designed the top 9 as they want to look, and they almost didn’t deviate from these lines. Sure, we saw how Jeff Malott was mixed for one or two layers
Last night, but the lines you see in warm -up were the lines that we have seen in all three games so far. We saw 60 games in the first game very little of mixing and matching this season.

The kings have their lines and they like what they have. In the first three games, they have leaned into it, for the good or for the bad.

“I think we are deeper this year than in previous years,” said Kopitar. “This is, when you talk about depth, ensure that everyone contributes to it. We are happy about it.”

Oiler

I had to zoom in on my screen twice to get the whole photo at all.

All the difference, right?

While the kings have three lines together with heavy minutes, the Oilers have no line together in 5-against-5 situations with 15 minutes. What you have are eight different lines together with at least five minutes. Many of these lines do not comprise Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, so it not only mixes and fits these two players. Edmonton is certainly less dependent on set combinations and pairings. Maybe some of them are looking for the right mix. Others just a difference in the approach.

But what we have here are two very different strategies.

While the Blueline felt at least from the perspective of the kings how there was more mixed and suitable, the numbers show that it is actually the same in defense as in advance. The kings have five defensive pairings together with at least five minutes, with Edmonton ten.

King

What things do differently here is that the kings in the first three games mostly run with five defenders. Jordan Spence registered a total of 5 against 5 in the three games, while Jacob Moverare played only one layer in game 2 when the kings dressed seven defenders.

The Anderson/Doughty pairing played almost exclusively together. Joel Edmundson has almost an even division between playing with Vladislav Gavrikov and Brandt Clarke, while Gavrikov shared the time between Edmundson and Spence.

From two different perspectives here Anderson and Doughty are least affected by the shortened rotation. Sure, a few crossover here and there, but mostly they played together. Only a few minutes in the NHL gave up 5-to-5 than Anderson and Doughty in these playoffs.

For Edmundson he had to be more versatile in the three games. Since they almost even divided themselves between Gavrikov and Clarke as a partner, this is a left and a right shot and two players who play very differently. However, it does not change its approach very much, minus a D-to-D pass behind the net or feeds on the offensive Blues for a one-timer compared to a band-to-tape pass. At this point everyone is familiar and well with each other and it is not important.

“We all only stick to the system, so we know what everyone will do,” said Edmundson. “We played enough together, so it doesn’t matter who they are out there. I was out there with Dewey, I was out there with Mikey, so we like to mix it.”

Oiler

Just like in front, Edmonton mixes and fits in the airine, with 10 different couples registering for at least five minutes. Much of this has come from the cast from game to game, with the Oilers performing different lineups in every game and on Blues. Some of them, some of them.

I do not think that the use of the lines was the biggest factor in this series, but there were certainly two very different approaches that led us to the Kings 2, Oilers 1. It will be interesting to see how this continues to be distributed. The kings were more dependent on their fourth line on the route and all six defenders than in these three games. I certainly do not think that the kings have cost it so far, those who play more difficult minutes have so far not persuaded themselves or felt tired. As Hiller noticed, he trains to win hockey games, and that’s exactly what he did. It is not situational and he will adapt if he thinks it is right. Or he won’t be when he sees so fit. Just like that, so far.

Fast racket –
– The latter, what the challenge had last night, there was a conversation about which part of the piece the kings looked at.

Goalkeeper Darcy Kuemper first said that he was not involved in the decision. He didn’t ask about it or said something about it. He had the feeling that the interventions were early when he and Evander Kane were involved in the left post before the puck went around the net and finally returned to Kane.

“I think you saw that my pad with his ice skates on the original side was involved, so I had to overcome myself and put myself in a bad position to be in a despair situation.” As far as I can make from my point of view. “

So that’s it.

-A large part of today’s lecture was expected in the concept of a series with a higher score than in the media, especially when you consider that the gate tends to fall in the off -season.

“I didn’t have that on my Bingo card, a 6-5, a 6-2 and a 7-4, yes, I would probably have undertaken all of this,” said Kopitar. “It is what it is. At the end of the day it is the first of four wins and it doesn’t matter how it happens.”

Not necessarily the Kings team that we saw in the course of the season, but I don’t think anyone in three games scored 16 goals.

– Finally Big Game this evening for the Ahl’s Ontario reign. The season is up to date.

The AHL playoffs are very difficult because 7 of the 10 teams of the Pacific Division qualify especially for the first of five rounds. It is a best-of-thread. So you lose game 1 like the reign and suddenly the team, which takes third place in the regular season, has it. The inequality in the overall ranking between Ontario and San Jose was reasonable, but the Barracuda has the goalkeeper Yaroslav Askarov, who only started 8 AHL games after the calendar had thrown from 2024 to 2025. He undoubtedly hit the criteria, but he is an NHL cake who played in the AHL.

The reign has to find a way this evening to force the 3 -games -3 company in Ontario on Monday. Good luck on the farm.

Tomorrow Skate tomorrow for the kings in Edmonton, which I would expect to have a few participants more than today. Other later a day come in game 4.