Los Angeles Kings have a third period problem that Jim Hiller won't admit

The Los Angeles Kings are heading back home after consecutive losses in Edmonton but this series could be very different, in that the Kings would already be advancing to the next round, if the third period looked different for the Kings. In both games, the Kings have had the lead in the third period and in both instances saw that lead evaporate and the series is now tied.

The Sunday night loss was probably the most disheartening for this team as Quinton Byfield couldn't clear the puck and take a shot on the empty net. The Oilers responded with Evan Bouchard scoring his second goal in the period to send it overtime where Leon Draisaitl scored to give the Oilers the win.

After the game, Jim Hiller was asked about the Kings third period performance and how he might change his approach to the period. The head coach was rather defiant and just said "Next Question".

The problem is that the Kings have not been as aggressive in the third period and it has cost them games. The Oilers are taking advantage of it and even Leon Draisaitl admitted after the game he wasn't surprised because the Kings "always sit back".

In the four games of this series, the Oilers have outscored the Kings 11-5 in just the third period alone so it is not surprising to see the Oilers forward make the comment he did.

Los Angeles Kings need to make some changes to win this series

For the Los Angeles Kings, the good news is that the series is not lost, even though there is no denying they could be in a much better position. With back-to-back losses, it is now a three-game series and the Kings are at home for potentially two of those games.

However, Jim Hiller clearly needs to make some changes to combat the sentiment around this series that the Kings are not aggressive with the lead. In Game 4, the Kings had a huge advantage of shots on goal through the first two periods but that advantage quickly evaporated in the third period. It would be great to see the team not sit back as much in those scenarios.

Another possibility is the Kings need to expand the rotation as they have almost exclusively gone with three forward lines and four defensemen. In Game 4, the Kings had nine forwards with 19 or more minutes of ice time while their fourth line was under five minutes. Meanwhile, their Top 4 defensemen had over 30 minutes of ice time with Brandt Clarke at 11:58 and Jacob Moverare at 2:26.

The shorter rotations could have their players getting tired late in the game and this could be factoring into the strategy to sit back in the third period. However, spreading out the ice time can allow them to be more aggressive over the course of the entire game.

Regardless of what the decision is, the Kings have shown they can't expect to win this series with the strategy they have employed over the first four games.