The Los Angeles Kings should have a commanding lead in this series and have the chance to win it on Tuesday night in Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena. Unfortunately, the Kings saw their lead disappear in the final minute of Game 4 and the series would end up being tied at two games apiece after the Oilers scored the winning goal in overtime.
The margin of error has all but disappeared for the Los Angeles Kings and this game is a must-win for them to keep their home-ice advantage. For head coach Jim Hiller, he will need to make some changes and these are three in particular that should be top priority.
Get Alex Turcotte and Jordan Spence back in the lineup
Jim Hiller has been making changes to his lineup seemingly every game since Game 2 but it might be time to go back to what they did in Game 1. In Game 2, the Kings tried to go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen and Alex Turcotte would be a scratch for that game.
Prior to Game 3, they made the decision to go back to 12 forwards and six defensemen but Turcotte did not return to the lineup but rather, Trevor Lewis replaced him. Then, for the last game, the Kings made the switch on defense by replacing Jordan Spence with Jacob Moverare.
When looking at these games, the moves may not seem consequential because the fourth line hasn't seen much ice time and the Kings have consistently gone with five defensemen. However, it is something they need to do that goes along with this next change.