It’s a cruel case of deja vu all over again for the Los Angeles Kings, who believed that this was the year that would be different.
In the end, it was more of the same. Despite holding a 2-0 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers in their fourth consecutive opening round postseason meeting, the Oilers rattled off four straight victories to eliminate the Kings and advance to the second round yet again, with the capper being Thursday night’s 6-4 victory at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
It was a devastating series of losses for the Kings, who had a 3-1 lead in the third period of Game 4 before losing in double overtime, and also couldn’t protect a 1-0 lead in Game 5 in Los Angeles.
Kings Fans Were At A Loss For Words After Yet Another Postseason Collapse
The Kings and their fans really believed that 2025 would be different than the previous three years, which makes their loss on Thursday night all the more painful and repetitive.
One fan kept things short and simple with his reply: “What a choke guys. We straight up collapsed. So frustrating the last 4 years.”
Another fan demanded changes at the top of the organization, saying, “All I want to see tomorrow is that the LA Kings have relieved Jim Hiller and Rob Blake of their duties. Especially the latter.”
This fan was still hurting despite being four straight years of the same result: “You’d think after four straight years you’d get used to the pain but damn I’m hurting.”
One Kings fan didn’t know what to say, replying, “don’t even know why I bother watching this damn team lose to the Oilers every year. Another useless playoff appearance.”
Finally, this fan hopes that the team turns the page on longtime franchise mainstays Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar, saying, “Hopefully that was the final game for Kopitar and Doughty as Kings. They are as much a part of the problem and aren’t part of the solution. Thanks for 2 cups but time for them to go.”
Kings Coach Jim Hiller Can’t Believe His Team Lost
In the immediate aftermath of the loss, Kings head coach Jim Hiller, who will face massive scrutiny and calls for his job by angry Kings fans, expressed that he couldn’t believe the final outcome of the series.
“It’s a missed opportunity for us,” he said. “We believe we could have won the series. We believe we should have won the series.”
Should have holds no weight now, as the result is now set in stone. The Kings simply blew it, and they’ll have to live with that for the next several months.