Stanley Cup playoffs, Round 2

Also known as the place where no Kings team has gone since 2014. Some thoughts on what has happened, and what's next.

The playoffs have moved on to the second round, but the Kings haven’t. And I’m not finished thinking about their latest failure and why the best group they’ve put together in a long time was ousted by Edmonton for the fourth straight time and went no deeper into the playoffs than its weaker predecessors.

NHL clubs normally conduct end-of-season physicals for players and media interviews for players and the head coach a day or two after the team has been eliminated. That’s when they disclose the truth about those mysterious upper- or lower-body injuries (Victor Hedman’s broken foot was only one of the grisly items in Tampa Bay’s medical update after they lost to Florida). At the same time, the general manager will usually answer questions on the status of the coach, free agent strategy, and other matters. The Kings’ season ended last Thursday, but they went radio silent for a while before saying select players will be made available to the media on Monday. No mention of general manager Rob Blake taking questions, but their advisory said information on additional media availabilities would be provided on Monday.

What the delay in hearing from Blake means is open to interpretation. Club executives could be moving slowly because they’re still in shock over the ending of a season they had reason to believe would last well beyond six postseason games. They also could be taking their time to examine everything that went wrong before Blake makes a public statement, and there’s a long list of good and bad events to sift through.

Any analysis must begin with coach Jim Hiller, who didn’t react well under pressure and repeatedly undermined the Kings’ supposed depth advantage by shortening the bench to essentially nine forwards and four defensemen. They tied regular-season franchise records for wins (48) and points (105) and set a franchise record with 31 home victories but still absorbed another elimination at the hands of the Oilers, who were depleted on defense and vulnerable in goal until Calvin Pickard replaced Stuart Skinner as the starter. Hiller had a less-than-perfect roster to work with, but it had performed well during the regular season. He made it less than the sum of its parts by not trusting the younger players, by overplaying veterans Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar beyond their age-limited capabilities, and by putting the team into a deep defensive posture too often.

Whether Hiller’s coaching mistakes cost him credibility in the locker room is worth considering. Players fully expected a long playoff journey, based on their regular-season accomplishments, and they seemed genuinely dazed when they were eliminated earlier than they’d expected. Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch made quick and effective adjustments within games and from game to game, which Hiller seemed too paralyzed to do.

It’s also possible the powers-that-be are genuinely undecided about whether to give an extension to Blake, who was in the final year of his contract. Eight years and four coaches after he began a rebuild that still has a long way to go, he has lost the faith of many fans. Blake’s status affects Hiller’s. It’s unlikely Blake’s bosses would let him go but keep Hiller, because a new general manager customarily gets to choose his coach.

If the Kings intend to fire Hiller—or in corporate speak “part ways” with him—the longer they wait, the less plentiful the market might be. The New York Rangers have filled their coaching vacancy by hiring Mike Sullivan three days after the Pittsburgh Penguins let him go, but Seattle, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Chicago, Boston and the Ducks are each still seeking a new coach. Scouring the remainder bin might be the Kings’ only choice if they wait too long to make a change.

And—a possibility many Kings fans will hate to hear—it’s entirely plausible to think owner Phil Anschutz will leave the current management team alone and that both Blake and Hiller will return because the regular season was so impressive. Both, of course, will insist they’ve learned from this experience and vow to do better. Exactly how many chances and seasons does Blake get to produce a team that can win a playoff round, let alone contend for the Stanley Cup? Quite possibly, more chances than he should reasonably get and more than eight years.

The second round of the playoffs will start Monday. As noted before 16 teams embarked on the trail of the Stanley Cup, I’m not the world’s best at predicting playoff outcomes. My picks in the East were Washington over Montreal in five (exact), Toronto over Ottawa in six (exact), Carolina over New Jersey in six (Canes won in five), and Tampa Bay over Florida in seven. Way off there: Defending champion Florida won in five.

In the West, I had the Kings beating the Oilers in seven (ouch), Colorado over Dallas in seven (which looked good until Mikko Rantanen’s third-period hat track in Dallas’ four-goal third period lifted the Stars to victory in Game 7), Vegas over Minnesota in five (the Golden Knights needed six), and No. 1 Winnipeg over St. Louis in six (the Jets won in double overtime in Game 7). For pure entertainment purposes and to give you a chance to laugh at me again, I present my second-round picks:

West

Pacific 1 Vegas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton

Vegas closed out Minnesota by winning the last three games of their first-round series, clinching on the road. Jack Eichel scored his only goal of the series in that game and must do more against Edmonton. The Golden Knights have a productive and mobile defense, led by Shea Theodore, who had two goals and four points against the Wild. Minimizing the impact of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will be Vegas’ biggest challenge (obviously), but Vegas has speed and size to do that as well as anyone. Edmonton benefitted from depth scoring in defeating the Kings, a new wrinkle for them. McDavid (two goals, 11 points) and Draisaitl (three goals, 10 points) did much of the heavy lifting but forwards Connor Brown and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each scored three goals, and Corey Perry, Evander Kane, Zach Hyman and Mattis Janmark each scored two. Defenseman Evan Bouchard led the Oilers with four goals, but he often hurts his team defensively as much as he helps offensively. The Oilers ranked second in power-play conversion in the first round at 38.5% but were last in penalty killing, at 60%, and they have to stop the leaks there. Calvin Pickard replaced a hapless Stuart Skinner in goal as Edmonton won the last four games; he was good when he had to be (2.93 goals-against average, .893 save percentage) rather than sensational. Vegas goalie Adin Hill (2.83, .880) wasn’t exceptional in the first round, either. This should be fast, physical, and fun to watch. Edmonton in seven.

Central 1 Winnipeg vs. Central 2 Dallas

Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck, the Jennings trophy winner and a Vezina finalist, continued his annual ritual of turning into mush in the playoffs but his teammates bailed him out in Game 7 against wildcard St. Louis on Sunday by scoring the tying goal with less than three seconds left in the third period and winning it 4-3 on a deflection credited to Adam Lowry at 16:10 of the second overtime. They averted the Presidents’ trophy jinx, at least for one round. The Jets were battered by injuries, with center Mark Scheifele missing the last two games because of an undisclosed injury and defenseman Josh Morrissey missing most of Game 7 after absorbing a big hit. What they lacked in numbers they made up for in resilience, but that might not be enough going forward. The Stars pulled off an incredible Game 7 comeback of their own, against Colorado, courtesy of forward Mikko Rantanen’s third-period hat trick against his former team in a stunning 4-2 victory. Dallas coach Peter Deboer is a remarkable 9-0 in playoff Game 7 situations throughout his career, which could be a factor in this series. Goalie Jake Oettinger (2.85 goals against average, .911 save percentage) should have an edge over Hellebuyck. (3.85, .830), who was pulled three times against St. Louis. Barring Hellebuyck waking up on Wednesday as the reincarnation of Jacques Plante and Georges Vezina, that is. Dallas in seven.

East

Atlantic 1 Toronto vs. Atlantic 3 Florida

I won’t get fooled again into picking against Florida. The Panthers allowed an average of 2.40 goals-against average in the first round (second among playoff teams) and allowed the fewest shots, 22.4 per game. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will stand at the opposite end of the ice from his understudy of last season, Anthony Stolarz. Oddly, each compiled a 2.21 goals-against average and .901 save percentage in the first round, with Bobrovsky posting one shutout. The Panthers’ strong defensive play (Sam Reinhart and Sasha Barkov are two of three finalists for the Selke trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forwards) and the nastiness that Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand bring will be key. Toronto had balanced scoring in the first round, a power play that converted 35.3% of its chances, and a league-best 56.6% faceoff win rate. Florida’s goaltending should have a big edge. Panthers in seven.

Metropolitan 1 Washington vs. Metropolitan 2 Carolina

Alex Ovechkin scored a team-leading four goals in the Capitals’ elimination of Montreal, continuing the regular-season success that made him the NHL’s career goalscoring leader. He could feast on the Hurricanes’ iffy defense and their uncertainty whether the oft-injured Frederik Andersen will be okay after being bowled over in Game 4 against New Jersey. Carolina’s penalty killing was perfect against New Jersey but that wasn’t the kind of test the Capitals will pose. The Hurricanes are a puck possession team and led postseason teams with an average of 36.6 shots on goal per game. Washington, the No. 1 team in the East during the regular season, feeds off the unpredictable factor that is Tom Wilson. Carolina is good every season, it seems, but not quite good enough. Washington in six.