Kings at Oilers: A Sideshow in Alberta

Shenanigans. If a single word could be used to describe last night’s game versus the Oilers, it’s shenanigans.

Story Time With Uncle Bob

Hockey Hall of Famer Bob Miller is a consummate professional, but after 42 years of being the Voice of the Los Angeles Kings, he’s got some stories, and he wants to tell them. He recounts a tale about Mario Lessard and a broken stick and gifts us all with a retelling of his original commentary.

You could practically hear that cringe through the screen. Sorry for the embarrassment Bob, but you commentate with Jim Fox who throws around the word “penetration” left, right, and center, so you’re still a head.

Assist of the Game

Andy Andreoff is an…alright player for the Kings, but he knows his worth. As in, he knows when he should leave the ice and let the big guys take over.

That’s right, Andreoff’s sudden line change and replacement with Kopitar lead to a great goal, and he’s literally getting mad props for being smart and having nothing to do with the play. Unfortunately, the real assists went to Jordan Nolan and Kyle Clifford, but we know who really deserves it.

Elite on Elite Crime

In a slightly bizarre incident, an Oiler ran roughshod over Anze Kopitar and boarded him behind the net right in the numbers. That truculent individual was none other than…Taylor Hall?

Immediately after this, Hall scored a power play goal to tie the game, so needless to say he was enemy number 1 for this game.

The REAL elite player v. elite player showdown was between Jonathan Quick and Connor McDavid. Everyone saw what went down. Did Quick make a miraculous save or did he fall centimeters short of stopping the puck? Who knows, but everyone will endlessly debate. Some pointed out this picture and angle as the damning photo that showed that the War Room had messed up:

Did the NHL totally fail in calling this a no goal? Maybe, maybe not because Science. Either way, the fallout of the no-goal call was like an episode of some crime procedural with countless grainy screenshots, camera angles, conspiracy theories, and wild speculation about where the puck actually was.

Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. And absurd saves in the dying seconds of a hockey game to eek out a win. Yeah, that’s how that saying goes.