Darcy Kuemper responds to Leon Draisaitl's criticism of Los Angeles Kings
Photo credit: Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Kings have now blown two major leads to the Oilers in their playoff series so far, which cause Leon Draisaitl to point out a flaw in their system.
The Oilers have dominated late in games through this series, which Leon Draisaitl attributes to the Kings lying back and playing defensive with the lead - which may actually benefit Edmonton.
Darcy Kuemper says Leon Draisaitl's assessment of Kings problem is correct
Yesterday, Draisaitl said in his off-day comments that the Kings retreat into defence when they start playing with the lead.
The Kings goaltender has been the one to handle the shots on goal while the team plays a more conservative style to hold their lead. Almost in response to Draisaitl's earlier comment, Kuemper said the Kings need to stop sitting back.
They've put us on our heels a little bit. I think we've got to make sure that we look at it and even when we have a lead, just keep playing the same way. Try to get on the forecheck, get offensive zone cycles going, and take it them instead of sitting back too much.
- Darcy Kuemper
- Darcy Kuemper
Kuemper fully agrees with Draisaitl's sentiment, but clearly isn't loving the decision of it's intentional. Either the Kings are letting their foot off the gas, or the Oilers turn it up high enough to be undeniable.
Given these assessments, tonight's game against the Kings may a much different matchup than what we've seen in the series so far.
The Oilers need to come out much stronger and not spend the game chasing a lead, and the Kings will want to finish out their effort stronger. If the Oilers jump on them quickly, it could be a better result for Edmonton visiting LA.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 29 | 798 ANSWERS Darcy Kuemper responds to Leon Draisaitl's criticism of Los Angeles Kings Do you think the Kings are sitting back with the lead on purpose, or the Oilers are pushing too much? | ||
| Kings sit back on purpose | 138 | 17.3 % |
| Oilers take over the game | 660 | 82.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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