HC Jim Hiller makes major admission after LA Kings' 3-1 defeat to Oilers in Game 5

After the 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5, LA Kings head coach Jim Hiller spoke to the media about the loss. The Oilers outshot the Kings 46-22 in Game 5, and the Kings faced more pressure from the start in every period.

Edmonton also had 19 shots in the first period, while LA had only four. The Kings had more hits and won 58.9% of faceoffs, but they still could not match the Oilers’ pace.

Jim Hiller said the Oilers played much better than the Kings in nearly every part of the game.

"They executed way better than us tonight, that was the first one," Hiller said, via lakingsinsider.com "They were stronger, they beat us in every area of the game, except for the special teams, oddly enough.

Hiller also said goalie Darcy Kuemper gave the Kings a chance to stay in the game, but added that no part of the Kings’ overall game was acceptable or good enough to win.

"The goaltender was great for us to give us a chance," Hiller said. "They were just better in every way. We can’t look to one part of our game and think that that was acceptable or that was good enough."

Hiller’s comments reflected frustration as the Kings now trail 3-2 in the series.

Andrei Kuzmenko scored first for the Kings on a power play in the second period. Evander Kane tied the game shortly after the Kings' power play ended. Mattias Janmark gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead in the third, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored an empty-net goal with less than a minute left to make it 3-1.

Darcy Kuemper made 43 saves for the Kings as they went 1-for-3 on the power play. Game 6 will be played in Edmonton on Thursday, and the LA Kings must win to stay alive and force Game 7.

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Jim Hiller highlighted LA Kings' poor defensive play

Jim Hiller was also not content with the LA Kings' defensive play in Game 5. He said the team was not connected on defense and gave up too many chances.

"What I can tell you is we weren’t connected defensively either," Hiller said. "...I don’t think we gave ourselves a great chance. We turned the puck over... we were disorganized, they came racing at us."

According to Hiller, the LA Kings can’t win by playing that way. He believes that the team needs to stick to their usual style, which is built on defense and grinding for goals.