At 5’9″ and 175 pounds, Blake Lizote is the smallest player on each side of the Kings-Oilers playoff series.
Unlike the Oilers stars Connor McDavid It is Leon Draisaitl, former first-round pick and Hart Trophy winners, Lizotte had to fight to keep his place in the NHL. Undrafted out of high school, he first played in the amateur USHL before going to college, then went undrafted again before signing an entry-level contract with the Kings.
But if McDavid, arguably the best player in the NHL, typifies the skill and grace with which the top-notch Oilers play, then Lizotte represents the blue-collar, lunchbox approach that defines the Kings.
“That’s our identity,” said Lizotte, who centers the Kings’ fourth line. “Look at the two guys over there, over 100 points. We don’t even have a 90-point guy. I think this is part of our team’s identity, playing a little more fit.”
See more information: After back-to-back home losses, Kings went looking for any shred of hope against the Oilers
So what if the Kings are one loss away from elimination in Game 5 of their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series on Wednesday in Edmonton? If you’re a grinder, the odds don’t matter. Lizotte’s very presence in the NHL proves that courage and tenacity can overcome glamor and talent.
And if the Kings want to come back from a 3-1 series deficit, little Lizotte will have to play an outsized role.
“The playoffs are usually a chore. So you have to make sure you play that style,” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller he said. “We just have to play better.”
The Kings have scored just once in two home games and are on the verge of losing a first-round series to the Oilers for the third consecutive season. In 2022, they lost in seven games. In 2023, they lost in six games. Another loss on Wednesday and they will be out in five.
The Kings are not progressing, they are going backwards – and the blame for their regression can be shared.
Trevor Moore, the Kings’ leading scorer in the regular season, scored just once in the playoffs. Anze Kopitar has a goal and two assists, but all the points came in the same game. And center Pierre Luc-Dubois, the team’s big offseason addition, has been credited with just one shot in the last three games.
Quinton Byfield, one of the few Kings who lived up to expectations, provided assists in the first three games. The Kings outscored Edmonton by five goals when he was on the ice, a team-best plus/minus.
Lizotte, meanwhile, brings a different kind of energy as the Kings’ spark plug and emotional leader, especially on the penalty kill. Working on the PK is usually a thankless and inglorious task, but it was fundamental to the Kings’ success in the regular season. Her struggles played a prominent role in the three playoff losses.
The Kings had the second-best penalty-killing unit in the NHL during the regular season, but they ranked last in the playoffs, giving up eight goals when they were conceded 15 times.
The power play has also struggled, going 0-11 in the series.
At even strength, the Kings and Oilers have 10 goals each. But Edmonton destroyed the Kings’ not-so-special special teams, scoring at least one power play goal in every game.
“They have so many different options,” Lizotte said of the Oilers, who saw five different players contribute a goal or assist on the power play, led by McDavid, who had a goal and seven assists. “From the same set, they have three different options, where other teams might have one or two. And obviously they do it at a much greater rate than maybe your average power play.
“So, firstly, you just can’t take penalties.”
See more information: Kings fall to Oilers in Game 4 loss, moving to brink of elimination
The Kings tried this in Game 4, only going to the box once. But Andreas Englund’s second-period penalty was the opportunity the Oilers needed to spoil the Kings’ most complete performance of the series, with Evan Bouchard scoring the only goal of the game.
“It’s the type of game that you need to replicate every game”, he centralizes Phillip Danault he said. “That’s the only way to beat Edmonton right now. We have to play exactly the same way.”
To have a chance to bring the series back to Los Angeles for Game 6, the Kings also need another big goaltending effort David Rittich, who came off the bench to start Game 4 and calmed down an Oilers offense that was averaging more than five goals. But they will also need Lizotte and the rest of the penalty kill unit to hold their own against an Edmonton power play that is averaging nearly four chances per game.
“This is too much. If you give these players that many chances, they will score,” Lizotte said. “We had opportunities to kill penalties, important moments and we couldn’t do it.
“We need to do this. Timely penalties are our Achilles heel.”
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
