The Edmonton Oilers had hope for home-ice advantage in the playoffs flickering like a candle in the rain ahead of Monday’s matchup with the L.A. Kings, but that dream was quickly extinguished when the visiting side grabbed an early lead that they would carry to the final buzzer. Not only did the Oilers lose their series finale against the Kings, but that 5-0 loss may have been one of the most painful to sit through in a while. Good times, amirite?

Now that we know that the Kings will have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs and how their record at Crypto.com Arena has been fantastic all year, I’m hoping the Oilers will find some motivation in being underdogs. Even with the three consecutive playoff series wins you’d have to think everyone sees how banged up the team is and believes this is the opportunity L.A. needs to finally get through the first round. I took a quick cruise around the Internet during the game last night to see what the pundits are saying, and there aren’t many that are giving Edmonton a chance to beat the Kings a fourth straight time.

If there’s one thing I would hope should piss our team off, it would be having the hockey world doubting them despite being a veteran team with more depth than we’ve had in quite some time. If they can get pissed off that people aren’t giving them a chance in this upcoming series against the Kings, then I don’t see how it could be a bad thing rolling into Los Angeles with a chip on their shoulders. I know the team is far from perfect, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still have the talent to catch lightning in a bottle. And maybe the key to harnessing that energy is by embracing an underdog mentality despite having the history that proves they can beat them. Dare to dream? I believe.

It’s hard to look at the Oilers being without nine regulars for game 81 of the regular season against the opponent we’ll be facing a few days from now and feel warm and fuzzies inside. I know most of the missing are expected to be back by Game 1 on Sunday night, but it’s hard to say what the boys’ state will be by the time the weekend rolls around. Even if they’re all “healthy” enough to play, it doesn’t mean that any of them will be close to feeling 100%. Granted, even at 85%, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are better than most of the league, but that doesn’t change my concerns about how and if everything will be able to come together.

That’s not to say we should feel hopeless about facing adversity down the stretch and into the post-season, but I’d be lying to pretend this is the ideal scenario for what we hope is another Cup run. Not only have the Oilers been banged up pretty consistently since the 4 Nations break, but they haven’t even been able to play as a healthy roster even one time. A guy like Evander Kane hasn’t played a minute of competitive hockey in nearly a year, while Trent Frederic could only muster 7:10 in his first and only appearance with the McDavid and Draisaitl-less Oilers. My point is that we’ll probably need a McMiracle to get through this mess, and that’s miles away from the pre-season excitement we all shared about where the year could end up.

One of the biggest difference makers in past playoff series against the Kings was the Oilers’ ability to flex on special teams. We all know how lethal Edmonton’s power play can be when it’s at its best, and there have been no bigger playoff victims of that devastation than the Los Angeles Kings. But in the regular season series finale, the Oilers were a mess at both ends of the rink. Despite having six power play opportunities, the Oilers couldn’t produce much of anything beyond a few flimsy shots from the perimeter, whereas the Kings got the job done on 2-of-8(!!!) chances by snapping the puck around confidentially, putting pucks on net, and creating their own luck.

Even with the benefit of guys returning to the lineup in various states of health, the Oilers will need their special teams to execute at a much higher level than we saw in Game 81. Now that the Kings have home ice locked in for the first round, part of getting around their spotless home record will be tagging them on the power play and keeping them frustrated on the PK. Neither of those things happened in the final game of the season series, and the pressure is on the coaching staff to devise a plan that works. The job gets easier with the Dynamic Duo back in the lineup, but we’ll need a lot better than what we watched on Monday.

1. The game is over now and can no longer hurt us. Just as important, this was the last game the team will play on Amazon Prime this season.

2. As much as I understand why Darnell Nurse would want to crosscheck Quinton Byfield in the crease, it wasn’t worth getting himself kicked out of the game on a night when the bench was as short as it was. Not only did Nurse get himself kicked out, but there’s also a chance the NHL DoPS might look at the play and deem it worthy of a suspension. If they think the double headshot deserves a suspension, how bad will the play look if they decide it’s worth more than one game? Personally, I don’t think he should be suspended beyond missing the rest of the game, but I do bring this up because you never know how that department will decide to dole out justice.

3. Calvin Pickard has given more than his share of quality performances down the stretch, but last night’s game against the Kings is one he’d probably like to forget. Whether you’re pointing fingers at the shorthanded lineup, the spotty defending, the giveaways all over the ice, or the lack of finish in the offensive zone, Pickard couldn’t cover up as many mistakes as the team needed on a night when basically half the roster was sitting out. So what do I make of our pal Cal’s night? I thought he was OK but certainly not spectacular, and I also felt he didn’t get much help.

4. Shout out to Quinn Hutson for making his NHL debut after signing his two-year ELC with the Oilers shortly before he threw on the jersey. Having him go from college hockey to the NHL is one of the more unique hockey stories I’ve ever seen, and it must have been an emotional rollercoaster to make that leap in a matter of days. Hutson played 14:34 in his debut to go along with one shot on net, two giveaways, and a -1 rating.

5. Were you surprised to see Warren Foegele score a revenge goal against the Oilers? You weren’t, were you? That’s what I thought.

6. If there is a silver lining to be drawn from this whole mess, it might be that the Oilers won 50.9% of the faceoffs.

7. Flush that one, get as healthy as possible, and we’ll see them back in L.A.