The Kings had not played in a Game 7 since 2014 and with their loss in Edmonton they have still not won a playoff series since that same year.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers battles against Rasmus Kupari of the Los Angeles Kings during the third period in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on May 14, 2022 in Edmonton, Canada.
Cody Ceci of the Edmonton Oilers battles against Mikey Anderson of the Los Angeles Kings during the second period in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on May 14, 2022 in Edmonton, Canada. Cody Ceci, Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on May 14, 2022 in Edmonton, Canada.
Connor McDavid and goaltender Mike Smith of the Edmonton Oilers celebrate their victory against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on May 14, 2022 in Edmonton, Canada. Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, left, comes out of the net to check Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard during the second period in Game 7 of a first-round series in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta.
Winger Dustin Brown, the Kings’ all-time leader in games played and captain of the 55-year-old franchise’s only two championship rosters, played the final match of his illustrious 1388-game tenure, a 2-0 road loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of a riveting first-round series.Kings coach Todd McLellan said that even beyond Kopitar’s emotional moment, there were “a lot of water-filled eyes in there, of grown men,” referring to his team’s dressing room.
The Kings had not played in a Game 7 since 2014. With their loss in Edmonton they have still not won a playoff series since that same year. Their performance over 89 games this season, one that many thought would be unremarkable, was more than commendable despite Saturday’s result. The closing stanza began with a strong shift for the Kings and then witnessed a near disaster when winger Josh Archibald had a breakaway. He slid the puck between Quick’s legs, where his glove was resting behind him to reject the shot and keep the Kings’ deficit at one. The second and third periods were also connected by a struck post in each frame that aided Quick’s cause.
Having gathered momentum as the seconds ticked away, Edmonton’s second-period crescendo reached its peak with a goal 13:15 into the frame.