The Los Angeles Kings looked on the way to eliminating the Edmonton Oilers for the first time in their four straight first-round series. They’re now on the brink of going home empty again.

The rollercoaster affair had the Kings winning the first two games and leading in Game 3 before the Oilers stormed back to win that night and the next two games,including a 3-1 victory Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

While some people may see one bad coach’s challenge as a turning point in this matchup, the Kings have only a series of blown leads to blame for where they are in the series at the moment.

Without a doubt, Kings coach Jim Hiller coach’s challenge for goaltender interference on Evander Kane’s equalizer in Game 3 was not a good look. The review quickly determined the goal would stand, and the resulting penalty led directly to the game-winning goal being scored on the Oilers’ power play. That’s not up for debate. 

That’s not the reason why Los Angeles dropped three games in a row. The key issue for the Kings is that they’ve deviated from their strong regular-season play when they knew how to hang onto their leads.

The Kings were 25-4-3 this season when leading after the first period, and they were even more impressive when leading after two periods at 35-1-2. 

But in the first round, Los Angeles is 2-1 when leading after 20 minutes, and they’re 2-2 when leading after two periods. They’re already two-thirds of the way to their blown third-period leads in the regular season.

When you break down the games even further, you’ll see the Kings constantly squandering advantages they managed to carve out.

In Game 3 on Friday, the Kings overcame a 2-0 Oilers lead, scoring three straight goals before Edmonton tied it. Los Angeles again took the lead late in the second period, only to allow the final three goals of the game. 

In Game 4 on Sunday, the Kings built a two-goal lead – and after the Oilers cut the lead in half, L.A. restored its two-goal advantage, only to allow the next three goals to Edmonton, including the overtime-winner. And finally, in Game 5, the Kings scored the first goal, then allowed two straight Oilers goals, plus an empty-netter.

Oilers' Evan Bouchard Joins Rare Company With Clutch PerformancesWhen you put Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard in the playoff spotlight, he can put up points from the blueline like not many others.

Clearly, one bad coach's challenge is not responsible for L.A. blowing leads time and again. A lost coach’s challenge didn’t help matters, of course. But that’s in one game only. 

The Kings’ defensive deficiencies are the real culprit here. And to be sure, Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper isn’t the goat, although his 3.44 GAA and .899 SP aren’t moving the needle in a positive way for his team. It’s the defense in front of Kuemper that’s the root cause of three straight defeats.

In the first two games of this series, the Kings’ offense was the difference in their favor, posting six goals in both games. But Los Angeles has messed around by trying to run-and-gun with Edmonton’s high-octane offensive attack, and they’ve found out that’s not a great idea.

As it stands, L.A. is on the brink of elimination – and once again, the team could be heading home for the summer courtesy of an Oilers team it knows all too well. The stakes are sky-high for them now, as one loss in the next two games could spell the end of the line for Kings GM Rob Blake and could lead to roster changes this summer. You can’t keep running back the same core, lose in the first round four straight seasons to the same team and expect to keep your job.

Ultimately, the Kings can’t say they didn’t know how to build a lead against Edmonton. They just didn’t know how to hold one. And consequently, they’re on the verge of exiting the playoffs and becoming a gigantic disappointment yet again.

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To say Taylor Hall has been well-travelled over his 15-year NHL career would be an understatement. 

The former Hart Trophy winner has been on seven teams since the Edmonton Oilers selected him first overall in 2010, and he was considered an ancillary move in the massive three-way deal that brought Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in January.

The 33-year-old ended up fitting in with his new club while Rantanen got traded again to the Dallas Stars. On Wednesday, the Hurricanes announced they signed Hall to a three-year, $9.5-million contract extension worth about $3.167 million annually.

"(Getting term was a) big part of that, just moving around, and now that I have a family, it's important to be somewhere where I'm comfortable," Hall said on a media call on Wednesday. "This team, right from the moment I got here, made me feel comfortable. The coaching staff pushed me, and the guys in the room have been just incredible at making me feel welcome and making me feel like this is a place that I want to be." 

The Calgary native struggled with injuries in his first six seasons with Edmonton and was dealt to the New Jersey Devils in 2016. With the Devils, he scored a career-high 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists) in 2018 and won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.

After failing to negotiate a contract extension, Hall was dealt as a rental to the Arizona Coyotes. The big left winger signed a one-year, $8-million deal with the Buffalo Sabres in 2020 to play under former Oilers coach Ralph Krueger, but his tenure with the Sabres was rough, and after scoring two goals in 37 games, Buffalo dealt him to the Boston Bruins.

Hall found his footing with the Bruins and signed a four-year, $24-million contract in 2021. After two seasons, Boston needed to clear salary and swapped him to the Chicago Blackhawks for a pair of minor leaguers. 

With the Hawks, the intent was to have him play with 2023 top pick Connor Bedard, but a knee injury ended his season after only 10 games. In the final year of his deal, Hall avoided injury but was moved up and down the lineup. He was eventually folded into the Rantanen deal, in which the Hawks retained 50 percent of his salary. 

With the Hurricanes, Hall posted 18 points in 31 games to finish the regular season.

Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky did not have the same issue of getting the veteran winger to sign in Carolina as he did with Rantanen.

"We've been talking since the day of the trade – I think we've had a sense of where it was going to be," Tulsky said. "Most of the conversations between myself and Taylor's agent, Darren (Ferris), we've been sort of hammering out some of the details of how some specifics of the deal would work." 

"Darren was talking to Taylor, making sure he was comfortable with it. I don't think either of us ever doubted that it would get done. It was just a matter of finding the deal that got everybody what they wanted."

Hall played a part in the Hurricanes beating the Devils 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs, eliminating his former team on Tuesday. He had a goal and three points in five games while averaging 15:56.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins opened up a particularly appealing job after parting with coach Mike Sullivan on Monday. 

After all, who wouldn’t want to be behind the bench coaching icon Sidney Crosby? 

In any case, Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has three distinct roads to move forward on as the team’s transitional period continues following its third straight playoff miss. The coaching choice Dubas makes will dictate the competitive road he chooses. 

With that in mind, here are three potential paths for the Penguins to take – and three potential coaches for each of those roads.

Path 1: Return The Penguins To The Playoffs And Stanley Cup Contention ASAP

“You can hope in one hand and s— in the other, and see which one fills up first,” Dubas said to reporters at the end-of-season press conference, seemingly shooting down the notion of a long and full rebuild.

That would almost certainly mean the Penguins will be aiming for a retool this summer. It could also mean the next coach will have lots of experience and be highly demanding, focusing on wins over learning and developing.

Dubas’ options for a veteran bench boss include Rick Tocchet, John Tortorella and Peter Laviolette. Tocchet parted with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday and is now a free agent.

Tortorella, meanwhile, was fired by the Philadelphia Flyers, and the New York Rangers fired Laviolette. They are still widely respected coaches with a track record of success, and their pedigree could be appealing for Dubas as he tries to get his team back in the playoff mix right away.

The Pittsburgh Penguins Parting With Mike Sullivan Is The Best Thing For ThemThe Pittsburgh Penguins kind of, sort of, tried it Mike Sullivan's way. Not only were they not good enough to contend for a Stanley Cup, but they weren't good enough to contend for a playoff spot.

Path 2: Keep Pittsburgh Competitive During A Transitional Period

In his press conference announcing the end of Sullivan’s tenure, Dubas talked about a period of transition, which suggests perhaps choosing a coach with either experience as an assistant or head coach. While Sullivan previously coached the Boston Bruins, he spent years as an assistant coach and AHL coach before getting a chance as an NHL bench boss again in Pittsburgh.

That could lead to the Penguins taking a chance on someone whose name may not immediately jump out as a front-runner, and who could currently be working on a team still in this year’s playoffs.

For instance, current Toronto Maple Leafs associate coach Lane Lambert has experience running a team from his time with the New York Islanders. This year, Lambert has had success running Toronto’s penalty kill. 

Current Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love has also been speculated to be in the running for multiple NHL jobs. And longtime Carolina Hurricanes assistant coach Jeff Daniels has had great success with the team, including a Cup championship in 2006. Any of those three choices could step in for Pittsburgh and get them through this transitional stage.

Path 3: Focus On Developing The Penguins’ Younger Players And Next Core

Dubas may ultimately decide the Penguins should be focused on teaching the team’s youngsters and grooming the incoming core of the organization. There are numerous options out there if that’s the approach Dubas and the franchise want to take.

For example, current University of Denver coach David Carle is highly regarded as a teacher who has thrived working with young players. Carle may have his pick of a number of NHL jobs, but the chance to work with Crosby while at the same time developing Pittsburgh’s prospects may be especially appealing.

Elsewhere, current Boston Bruins assistant coach Jay Leach worked with Sullivan at the AHL level and was part of the Penguins organization before moving on to a solid coaching career in the AHL and NHL. 

Veteran coach Brad Shaw, who served as the Flyers’ interim coach after Tortorella was fired, could step in for the Pens and be a teacher for the foreseeable future if the Flyers don’t make him the permanent coach. One of those three could have at least a couple of years implementing a program that’d help Dubas build a new core for the long term.

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