Kris Knoblauch must keep the Edmonton Oilers aware of a trick the Los Angeles Kings deployed in the final moments of Game 6. When the Kings were trailing late in Game 5, they made a unique change to their lineup to get Adrian Kempe on the ice. The Kings were playing as a defenceman next to Drew Doughty . It’s a different approach to get a player who has been destroying the Oilers extra ice time. That’s something Edmonton must contend with. It’s a unique idea, but Edmonton must recognize the Kings misdirection. They’ll be desperate in Game 6. It may not be the only card up the sleeve of the Kings.
Oilers Aware of Kempe’s Position
Due to his speed, Kempe will be a threat whether he is on as a defenceman or forward. He’s got that lethal shot. The Kings are trying to smuggle him onto the ice late in games when chasing because he essentially becomes the defensive forward the Kings deploy on their powerplay. He feels comfortable in that position, and the Oilers must know when this happens.
When he’s higher up the ice and seeing the two at the point are traditional defencemen, the Oilers must understand the difference in deployment. Playing him in different positions will be used to confuse the Oilers when the Kings face elimination in Game 6, but the Kings may try this with other players. Some talents have gotten on the scoreboard but haven’t impacted the series the way the Kings would have wanted, so this is not the only trick.
Home-Ice Impact
The Edmonton Oilers’ advantage in this situation is that Game 6 is in Edmonton, at Rogers Place. Knoblauch having the last change means that he can make the adjustments on the fly, but he must keep the Oilers aware of this trick from the Kings, or he could be caught out himself. If the Oilers’ leadership, including the coaching staff, gets caught out this late in the game, it could alter the momentum of the series. Knoblauch must prep his team to watch for this from Los Angeles. If he doesn’t, the Oilers will go back to Los Angeles.
As for the players on the ice, it’s hard to defend if you are not expecting it. Having four forwards on the ice means having a winger, usually someone who doesn’t typically cover other forwards, trying to slow down the Kempe train that blasted the Oilers early in this series. It means all eight wingers in Game 6 must be aware of the possibility of Kempe playing in that defenceman slot if the Kings are pushing for offense. Edmonton needs its wingers to be on high alert.
Pickard’s Awareness
Calvin Pickard may have to make the most significant change. Typically, defencemen shoot from the point, aiming for tips, or they’ll pass it off. Kempe’s shooting threat is much more dangerous. If Kempe gets free, Pickard needs to realize that it is a fourth forward and mentally account for the extra shooting threat. Concentrating and noting the five Kings on the ice will be essential to helping the Oilers get over the line in Game 6.
Los Angeles will fight for its life. There may be other tricks like this. With that in mind, Pickard must be honest with the game. He can’t cheat for a pass when a defenceman breaks in if that defenceman is one of the King’s dangerous forwards playing for a scoring situation. Pickard will have a lot of confidence after a fantastic Game 5performance, but his most significant part is yet to come in this series. He must continue to play well. Edmonton needs their netminder. There have been some critics of the position for the Oilers. He’ll be a major part of the Oilers getting into round two.
Main photo by: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
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