logo
Los Angeles Kings, GM Rob Blake part ways after collapse vs. Oilers

Los Angeles Kings, GM Rob Blake part ways after collapse vs. Oilers

USA Today05-05-2025

Los Angeles Kings, GM Rob Blake part ways after collapse vs. Oilers
Show Caption
Hide Caption
'It's been a fun ride': Paul Bissonnette on being a studio analyst for NHL on TNT
Paul Bissonnette shares what it's like behind the scenes at NHL on TNT.
Sports Seriously
The Los Angeles Kings' inability to get past the Edmonton Oilers is leading to a change in management.
The Kings announced Monday that the team and general manager Rob Blake mutually agreed to part ways.
"On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Rob for his dedication to the LA Kings and the passion he brought to his role," team president Luc Robitaille said in a statement. "Reaching this understanding wasn't easy and I appreciate Rob's partnership in always working toward what is best for the Kings. Rob deserves a great deal of credit and respect for elevating us to where we are today. He has been an important part of the Kings and will always be appreciated for what he has meant to this franchise."
The Oilers have knocked out the Kings four years in a row in the first round. This year seemed the best chance to end that futility because the Kings tied franchise records with 48 wins and 105 points, and Darcy Kuemper was a Vezina Trophy finalist. The Kings had home advantage this year and won Games 1 and 2 before things imploded.
In Game 3, coach Jim Hiller's challenge of the Oilers' tying goal was rejected and Los Angeles received a delay of game penalty. The Oilers scored 10 seconds into the power play for the go-ahead goal and eventual win.
The Kings then blew a 3-1 lead in the third period of Game 4 for an overtime loss. Edmonton won Games 5 and 6 to advance.
Los Angeles hasn't announced a decision on the future of Hiller. He was in his first full season as head coach after being named interim coach last season following the firing of Todd McLellan.
Blake, a Hall of Famer and former Kings star, had been general manager since 2017. The team went 309-238-71 and made the playoffs five times in eight seasons but never made it out of the first round. His 2023 trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois didn't pan out, though the forward was later moved for Kuemper.
Robitaille said the search for a new general manager will begin immediately. The Islanders are also looking for a GM after not renewing Lou Lamoriello's contract.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Not our best': Undisciplined Oilers thumped 6-1 by Panthers in ugly Game 3
‘Not our best': Undisciplined Oilers thumped 6-1 by Panthers in ugly Game 3

Hamilton Spectator

timean hour ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

‘Not our best': Undisciplined Oilers thumped 6-1 by Panthers in ugly Game 3

SUNRISE - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had the puck with Sergei Bobrovsky at his mercy. The Oilers forward — an injury question mark coming into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final — fired high and wide of the Panthers' goal with his team enjoying an early power play. It was about as good as things would get for Edmonton on an ugly Monday night that saw Florida dominate in picking up a resounding 6-1 victory to grab a 2-1 lead in the NHL title series. 'Not our best,' Oilers captain Connor McDavid said of his team's performance. 'I don't think our best has shown up all series long, but it's coming.' It better happen quick. A knife-edged matchup through 8 1/2 periods — a 4-3 Edmonton overtime victory and a 5-4 Florida triumph in double OT — didn't follow the same pattern after shifting from Alberta's capital to Sunrise's stifling heat. 'We didn't play very well, that's evident,' said Oilers winger Evander Kane, who took a pair of penalties in the first period. 'We have nobody to blame but ourselves.' Brad Marchand scored 56 seconds after puck drop to send Amerant Bank Arena into an early frenzy before that man-advantage chance where Nugent-Hopkins ripped that puck off the glass. The Oilers were undisciplined from there with three minor penalties in the offensive zone and another for too many men on the ice before the first intermission. The Panthers finally made the visitors pay when Carter Verhaeghe went bar down on Stuart Skinner. Corey Perry cut the deficit in half 100 seconds into the middle period on a power play as Edmonton briefly showed signs of life, but a turnover by Oilers defenceman John Klingberg led to Sam Reinhart making it 3-1. Sam Bennett then crushed Edmonton winger Vasily Podkolzin to create a turnover that led to his own breakaway goal before Aaron Ekblad and Evan Rodrigues rounded out the scoring on man advantages in the third. The Oilers played into the Panthers' hands all night, coming unhinged with scuffles after the whistle — something they had largely avoided through two games. Florida, which defeated Edmonton in seven to capture the franchise's first championship 12 months ago, showed again why its roster is littered with players adept at straddling or crossing the officiating line. And, from the Oilers' perspective, the calls have been tilted in the Panthers' favour. 'They seem to get away with it more than we do,' Kane said of the gamesmanship. 'It's tough to find the line. They're doing just as much stuff as we are … there seems to be a little bit more attention on our group.' Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, whose team felt there should have been a too-many-men penalty on Florida in extra time of Game 2, had a biting take on the refereeing so far in the series. '(Wes McCauley and Francis Charron) did an outstanding job,' he said of Monday's officiating crew. 'They even caught the too-many-men penalty in the first period, which was too many men. 'They caught us there. I just wish they had been calling the game in Game 2 in overtime.' Skinner said it won't be difficult to flush the result. 'It's one game,' the netminder said after getting the hook following Florida's fifth goal on 23 shots. 'They could've beat us 12-0 and it's the same result. It's still just 2-1 (in the series). 'It might feel a little bit harder just because we weren't in the game, but it doesn't change how we're going to respond.' Both teams pivoted to message-sending mode in the third period, including a long fight between Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse and Florida forward Jonah Gadjovich. 'Boys being boys,' Knoblauch said. 'Just trying to make investments for the next game.' McDavid said his group can, if necessary, match the Panthers' physical style moving forward. 'We feel like we can play any game,' he said. 'When the game's out of hand, you're going to see that stuff.' Edmonton now has 48 hours to regroup before Game 4 on Thursday. 'You go back home at 2-2 or down 3-1 … it's a big swing,' said McDavid, whose team will host Game 5 on Saturday. 'It's a pivotal game. There's no doubt about it.' The Oilers will need a lot more — offence, discipline and composure — in a contest that could go a long way in determining if their Cup script is any different this time around. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.

Reinhart's first goal of Stanley Cup Final a big one in Panthers' Game 3 rout of Oilers
Reinhart's first goal of Stanley Cup Final a big one in Panthers' Game 3 rout of Oilers

Miami Herald

time2 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

Reinhart's first goal of Stanley Cup Final a big one in Panthers' Game 3 rout of Oilers

Forget what the game log says. Monday night was the true return of Florida Panthers star Sam Reinhart. Reinhart scored a goal – his first in six games — and set up another with a filthy pass to Aaron Ekblad in Monday's 6-1 Panthers win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. For the Panthers' regular-season leader in goals, it was his best game since suffering an apparent knee injury early in the Eastern Conference Finals. Reinhart went top shelf three minutes into the second period to beat Stuart Skinner – the same netminder he victimized in Game 7 nearly a year ago — to jumpstart a dominant closing half of an overwhelming Panthers performance. 'The Sam Reinhart goal was the inflection point,' said Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who won his 1,000th NHL game (combining the regular season and postseason) Monday. '2-1, especially with what both teams had been through in the first two, there was no [safe] lead at that point, and Sam's goal was very important to us.' In the micro sense, Maurice of course is correct. Reinhart's goal gave the Panthers much-needed breathing room in the second period, and the Oilers didn't respond well. Oilers coach Kris Knoblach said his team 'unraveled' Monday, and the stat sheet backed that up. Edmonton racked up a staggering 85 penalty minutes and a suspension for Evander Kane isn't out of the question after his inexcusable and dangerous stick found Carter Verhaeghe's neck when the Panthers forward was defenseless on the ice. But from a wider lens, Reinhart's breakout game is even worse news for Edmonton. After two overtime games in Alberta, the Panthers looked like far and away the better team Monday. 'We're a very deep team,' said forward Brad Marchand, who scored for the third time in as many SCF games Monday. 'Not just offensively. A lot of guys play a 200-foot game. That's one of our strengths.' Florida is strongest when Reinhart is at his best. And Monday's performance was huge given his uncharacteristic couple of weeks. Reinhart has been largely a non-factor since the dirty hit laid on him by Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho in the Eastern Conference Finals. Reinhart missed two games after Aho's hip check to his knee and struggled to find his form upon his return. He was minus-3 in the first two games of this series with zero points in nearly 60 minutes of ice time. Monday was the ultimate reversal. His goal – set up by Verhaeghe just 80 seconds after Corey Perry cut a two-goal Florida lead in half – was great. His assist on Aaron Ekblad's third-period power play goal was even better. Reinhart went no-look behind his back, a move that fooled Skinner so utterly that Ekblad couldn't have missed the net if he tried. But it wasn't just offense for Reinhart, the two-way star who finished second in the Selke Trophy voting behind teammate Aleskander Barkov. Reinhart led all Panthers with three blocked shots Monday. 'I think you guys have seen it enough,' Reinhart said of Florida's style of play. 'We try to play the same very night and keep it as simple as possible. 'We're trying to take away some time and space.' Time and space? Luxuries Edmonton no longer can afford after a second straight loss.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store