If you want to succeed in the playoffs, you need your elite players to perform at their best, among other things. In the first duel between the Oilers and the Kings, Connor McDavid was the hero with five assists, while Anže Kopitar drew the most attention in the second.
The winning goal and two saves. Such is the balance of the star of the match.
The experienced Slovenian is a true icon of the Californian club. He was drafted by him already in 2005, he did not wear another jersey in the NHL. The captain’s tag is on his chest for the eighth season.
Los Angeles started the second duel better, leading 2:0 in the fifteenth minute. Kopitar assisted Adrian Kempe on both goals. The guests maintained the lead for most of the game, but in the end they lost it and had to go to extra time with the Canadian opponent at 4:4.
Kopitar, who took advantage of the Oilers’ defensive mistakes, drove into free space and ended the overtime after two minutes.
“We all love the playoffs. You play, you play games, you adjust and you move forward,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “From a coaching point of view, you only focus on one team.”
In game number two, Hiller had to repeatedly demonstrate the ability to react to the opponent’s play. He adapted. He changed formations, clogging the midfield and trying to keep Edmonton’s most skilled players from creating anything. In the end, his key fighter decided.
“Kind of a crazy game,” Kopitar said. “You’re trying to read the game. Sometimes you are in the right position, sometimes you are in the wrong position. I was in a good position several times today. It worked.”
The 36-year-old Kopitar is a witness to the successful Kings era from the 2009-2014 seasons, when he played 70 games in the playoffs and won two Stanley Cups with the team. His team has not been that good in recent years. He hasn’t made it past the first round since 2014, missing the playoffs five times.
A special challenge for the Kings is the Oilers, with whom they were eliminated in the first round last year (in six games) and the year before (in seven). It doesn’t look like a simple series this year either.
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