Wrist surgery transformed Drew Doughty from the Kings’ top defenseman into their top cheerleader during their first-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers a year ago.
He joked with his teammates to keep them loose, sweated every shift with them, celebrated after every goal and suffered through every setback.
“It was like watching your kid play a game, basically that’s how I felt,” Doughty said. “I was worried anyone was going to make a mistake. I was super intense in the game. I’d be yelling from up top, ‘They should have called a penalty,’ or something like that. If we scored, I was jumping up and down. I was super pumped for the guys. They played awesome. It was unfortunate we didn’t win.”
Without Doughty and productive winger Viktor Arvidsson, who had a herniated disc, the Kings pushed the Oilers hard, but Edmonton rallied to win in seven games. The Kings and Oilers will meet again, starting Monday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, but so much has changed for both teams that a year ago seems like ancient history.
“Honestly, I don’t think last year’s series has a lot to do with this year’s series,” Doughty said. “They’re a different team. They’re better defensively. And they obviously still have the high-powered offense. We are, I think, better offensively this year than last year and we really picked up our defensive game in the last 40 games of the season, so we’re playing better defensive hockey, too.”
Since last spring, the Kings have improved their scoring depth by acquiring Kevin Fiala, who had 72 points in 69 games. They also lost veterans Dustin Brown (retirement) and Jonathan Quick (trade), leaving Doughty and Anze Kopitar the lone holdovers from their Stanley Cup-winning teams.
Also since then, the Oilers recognized the value of playing rugged defense, a buy-in the high-scoring 1980s Oilers had to make before they won the Cup five times in seven seasons. Both teams have upgraded in goal, the Kings by acquiring Joonas Korpisalo from Columbus in exchange for Quick, and Edmonton by developing rookie Stuart Skinner.
The Oilers were the NHL’s hottest team down the stretch, compiling a 14-0-1 point streak and a nine-game winning streak in which they defeated the Kings twice. The Kings were encouraged by winning their last two games, which helped them flush the sour taste of losses to Edmonton, Vegas and Colorado that cost them a chance to finish higher than third. “It’s going to be a hard-fought series,” Doughty said.
One similarity to last year is that the Kings will likely be depleted by injuries again. Fiala and Gabe Vilardi did not practice with the team Saturday, and coach Todd McLellan declined to update their status. Given those issues, Kopitar called the team’s mood “cautiously optimistic,” and said they have a better chance of beating the Oilers than they did last year. “I think we’re a better-rounded team than we were last year, with some experience now,” he said. “We got Drew, so that’s obviously a big positive.”
Doughty, who will play in his first postseason game since the Kings were swept out of the first round by Vegas in 2018, is coming off a strong season. He averaged 26 minutes and 14 seconds’ ice time per game, second in the NHL, and scored nine goals and 52 points, his fourth season with at least 50 points. “We were definitely missing him last year,” center Phillip Danault said. “It’s huge to have him and his passion, his energy, talking in the room. He’s a big, big leader for us on and off the ice.”
Reuniting Doughty and Mikey Anderson has given the Kings a standout shutdown pair to play against NHL scoring champion Connor McDavid and has slotted other defensemen in more suitable roles. “They give us good minutes and they’re going to be counted upon to play at the top of their game for the next two weeks,” McLellan said.
Stopping McDavid must be a team effort, but the bulk of the work will fall on Doughty and Anderson. They must be effective for the Kings to have any kind of chance against the Oilers, who had three 100-point scorers in McDavid (153), Leon Draisaitl (128), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (104). Doughty is ready for the challenge.
“I’m excited for that opportunity. I love playing against him. It’s super difficult. You’ve got to be on your toes at all times,” Doughty said. “I’m starting to learn his game a little more from watching, from playing against him, and I’m sure he’s learning me, too.
“I’m sure it’s going to be an absolute battle out there, but if we do our jobs the way we know we can, I think that will have a big factor into whether or not we win this series, if we can play him well. .”
The Kings must stay out of the penalty box and not give the Oilers chances to continue the NHL-record success they enjoyed this season by converting 32.4% of their advantages. The Kings also need production from Danault, top-line winger Quinton Byfield, and their third and fourth lines.
McLellan wouldn’t say whether Korpisalo or Pheonix Copley will start in goal in Game 1 but the logical choice is Korpisalo, who has nine games’ NHL playoff experience to Copley’s none. Skinner has no NHL playoff experience, and this will be an intense test for him.
Doughty is revved up to face the Oilers in hockey-mad Canada. “To beat them would be amazing and win a couple games in their arena to piss off their fans would be great, but it’s going to be a tough job. We’ve got a lot of work,” he said. “I’m just so excited to play in the playoffs again and get a chance to hopefully beat Edmonton. They beat us last year so we want to try and get them back.”
Will the Kings succeed? That’s a lot to ask, unless the Oilers lapse into their old, sloppy defensive habits. At least this time, Doughty can do more than lead cheers for the Kings. He can lead a cohesive effort that will take the Kings a step closer to playoff success, if not this year, then soon.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.