The Edmonton Oilers now find themselves in an 0-2 hole in their Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Los Angeles Kings, sparking a stern message from defenseman Darnell Nurse to Connor McDavid and the rest of the locker room. After a deflating 6-2 loss at Crypto.com Arena, the series shifts to Edmonton, where the Oilers will need an immediate response to avoid teetering on the edge of elimination in the 2024-25 NHL season.
Despite Kris Knoblauch’s drastic measure of lining Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the first line, the scale didn’t tilt in Edmonton’s favour. If anything, it went Los Angeles’ way, as the Kings dismantled the Oilers en route to a pivotal win on home ice.
Down 2-0 in the series, the margin for error is razor-thin for McDavid and the Oilers. With the series shifting to Rogers Place, Edmonton must capitalize on home-ice advantage. Dropping a game in Alberta could prove fatal, as Game 5 is set for Los Angeles — a city that’s become a house of horrors for the Oilers this season. Not only have they lost all their visits to the Kings, but they’ve also come up empty in two road games against the Ducks in nearby Anaheim.
Goaltending has long been a sore spot for the Oilers, but the players in the locker room know it takes two to tango. After the rough showing on Wednesday night, blueliner Darnell Nurse made sure to remind McDavid and the group of it.
Darnell Nurse #25 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates after scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers during the third period of Game Six of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on June 21, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta.
“We’ve been hanging our goalie out to dry on quite a few occasions,” Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse stated, per NHL.com. “I think he’s actually made some huge stops for us in a timely manner, too, so we got to be better.”
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Momentum killer
It just wasn’t the Oilers night. After falling behind 3-0 in the scoreboard, a comeback started brewing, once again, for Edmonton, however, it seems the Oilers can’t catch a break.
After clawing their way back to within one, trailing 3-2 with over 15 minutes left in the third, Viktor Arvidsson fumbled the puck in the Oilers’ defensive zone. Anze Kopitar pounced, feeding Adrian Kempe, who made no mistake beating Stuart Skinner blocker-side. It was a soul-crushing, momentum-killing goal—one that brought down the walls of Jericho for McDavid’s Oilers.
Flip the script
While the lopsided final score is discouraging, it only accounts for one game, and the Oilers must turn the page as they return back home. McDavid was kept off the scoresheet for the first time since February 22, and he will most certainly be entering Game 3 on Friday night with a chip on his shoulder.
Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers reacts after scoring an empty net goal during the third period against the Florida Panthers in Game Five of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 18, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida.
Edmonton must feed off the energy inside Rogers Place, while Los Angeles will look to play spoiler. The Kings are in a relatively comfortable spot—they can sense the nerves creeping into their opponents. An early lead on the road would crank up the pressure on McDavid and the Oilers, especially as the home crowd starts to grow anxious.
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This is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Playing great hockey isn’t enough. In the postseason, the line between sports blurs—what unfolds on the ice often feels more like a high-stakes chess match.
