Drew Doughty could be the Kings’ playoff X-factor
Things weren’t looking so good for the Los Angeles Kings when top defender and future Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Drew Doughty suffered an ankle injury in the preseason, keeping him on the sidelines. But despite being without one of their best players, the Kings won hockey games, eventually sealing the No. 2 spot in the Pacific Division and finishing the season with a 48-25-9 and 105 points.
Now L.A. faces the Edmonton Oilers for the fourth straight year in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While the Kings have lost the first three straight series, Doughty and his teammates think the fourth time could be the charm.
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk are joined by NHL reporter Scott Burnside to discuss the fourth consecutive first-round matchup between the Kings and Oilers.
Frank Seravalli: Give me an X-factor for the Kings — maybe not a top-line player, but someone that you can think can be hugely influential in how this series turns, good or bad, from a Kings perspective.
Scott Burnside: Listen, Drew Doughty is going to go to the Hall of Fame, and that’s a given. But I do think he’s so interesting, his role is a little different with this team. As I mentioned, I’d be shocked if Jim Hiller goes away from the five-forward power play, at least to start. We know that Doughty missed more than the first half of the regular season after breaking his ankle.
The three of us were at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and no one was happier to be part of that mix than Drew Doughty. To be part of that Team Canada run to a dramatic championship, he spoke about it yesterday, and again, just this feeling of “wanting to win.”
Doughty wants nothing more than to play for a winning team, and Los Angeles hasn’t won a playoff series since their last Stanley Cup championship in 2014. He has been very candid about that drought, and how it pains him not to be playing winning playoff hockey.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…