The first-round series between the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers has been a back-and-forth rollercoaster. After blowing a three-goal lead in a Game 4 loss, Kings head coach Todd McLellan gave his take on a “strange series.”
“The start for us was tremendous; it was something we haven’t had in the series. It has been a strange series,” McLellan said. “The team that gets in the lead kind of takes their foot off the gas.”
Strange is one way to put a series that has had a plethora of lead changes and three overtime finishes. The Oilers evened the series at two games apiece with a huge comeback in Game 4. The Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period before the Oilers answered right back with three goals of their own in the second period, two of which came with a man advantage.
Each team traded a goal in the third before Zach Hyman buried the overtime winner halfway through the extra frame.
Todd McLellan’s comment on the leading team letting up rings true. The team that scored first in each game gave up the lead at one point or another. The Oilers blew two-goal leads in both Game 1 and 2 but were able to leave the latter with a win.
The series now shifts back to Edmonton with a de facto best-of-three format. The Kings and Oilers met each other in the first round last season, with Edmonton winning in seven games. They may well be on their way to another seven-game thriller.
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Courtesy : https://clutchpoints.com/kings-news-todd-mclellan-brutally-honest-strange-series-oilers-game-4-nhl-playoffs