LOS ANGELES (AP) — Connor McDavid has stood on this precipice several times before, and he does not care for the view.
The Edmonton Oilers are one loss away from their third consecutive opening-round playoff exit after back-to-back losses to the upstart Kings. Los Angeles is one of four NHL teams carrying a 3-2 series lead into Thursday night — along with Toronto, St. Louis and Carolina — with a chance to advance in Game 6 on what should be a thrilling evening of postseason hockey.
Edmonton was widely favored to claim McDavid’s second-ever postseason series victory and the underachieving Oilers’ first playoff advance in five years. Instead, the Oilers are facing elimination yet again by a rebuilding opponent with a fraction of their top-end talent, but remarkable heart.
McDavid’s frustration is clear, yet he also knows the Oilers are only on the brink in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday night (10 p.m. EDT, TBS) because of a poor defensive shift to start overtime in Game 5 on Tuesday. Edmonton roared back from a third-period deficit and carried momentum into extra time, but Kings All-Star Adrian Kempe scored the winner just 72 seconds in.
“Obviously, we haven’t brought our best game yet, and they’re a good team,” a terse McDavid said afterward. “They’re structured. They play hard. They do a lot of good things out there. It takes a complete game to beat them, and we haven’t brought that yet.”
The Oilers will have to do it without top defenseman Darnell Nurse, who got suspended Wednesday for head-butting LA’s Phillip Danault in Game 5. Nurse leads Edmonton in ice time and anchors their defense, yet he made his inexplicable decision after a play was already blown dead late in the second period.
Edmonton’s Zack Kassian also got hit with a $5,000 fine for cross-checking LA’s Sean Durzi during Game 5. Taken together, the incidents could indicate the Oilers are feeling the pressure of expectations — or maybe the Kings are just really good at getting under…