The Los Angeles Kings are fighting for their lives in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, they received a rather unwelcome injury scare early in the first period of Game 5. Mikey Anderson left the game on Wednesday night after a scary collision with Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.
Thankfully, Anderson was able to leave the ice without much assistance. Later on, the Kings defender did make his return to the Los Angeles bench. At the time of this writing, Los Angeles and Edmonton are tied 1-1 during the first intermission. The Oilers took the lead before the Kings rallied to tie Game 5.
Mikey Anderson is key for Kings
Mikey Anderson may not be a household name in the NHL. But he is certainly a valuable member of the Los Angeles Kings. He has emerged as one of their better defensive defensemen over the last few years. In 2023-24, he continued that trend. Anderson finished the regular season third among Kings defenders with 4.2 defensive goals above replacement.
Anderson broke out during his first full season in 2020-21. He led all Kings defensemen with 2.4 defensive goals above replacement during the COVID-shortened season. And once the schedule went back to 82 games, the Minnesota native continued his climb.
The 24-year-old defender was limited to 57 games during the 2021-22 campaign. Still, he ranked third among Kings defenders with 4 defensive goals above replacement. Furthermore, he ranked second on the team in overall goals above replacement with a mark of 7.5. Matt Roy had a higher mark than Anderson that year.
Mikey Anderson improved yet again during the 2022-23 season. And he received a mostly clean bill of health. The Minnesota native played a career-high 77 games during this campaign. His ice time also shot up, with him averaging over 21 and a half minutes per game that year. Once again, only Matt Roy bested him in terms of defensive goals above replacement.
Anderson took a slight step back in 2023-24, though the Kings defense got better as a whole. For instance, veteran defenseman Drew Doughty returned to his elite status. Jordan Spence and Vladislav Gavrikov also made substantial contributions to the Kings this year. Still, Anderson ranks among one of the better defensive blueliners Los Angeles has on its roster.
During this series with the Oilers, Anderson has appeared in all five games. He has one goal and four points to this point in the matchup. The Kings must win Wednesday night's Game 5 in order to remain alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Los Angeles needs Game 5 win over Oilers
The Kings and Oilers are facing off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in a row. However, this year's series has not been as competitive as the previous iterations. Edmonton has controlled the play over the course of the first two games. A win on Sunday would give them a third consecutive series win over Los Angeles.
The Oilers and Kings split the first two games of the series in Edmonton. When the series shifted back to Los Angeles, though, Edmonton grabbed full control. They destroyed Los Angeles in Game 3 by a score of 6-1. And in Game 4, Stuart Skinner stood tall as he helped his team to a 1-0 victory.
The Kings must play their best brand of hockey if they want to continue their playoff run. And they have to hope Mikey Anderson is not too shaken up after his injury scare Wednesday night. Let's see if Los Angeles can keep Connor McDavid and the Oilers at bay once more in Game 5.
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