The Los Angeles Kings have had a busy week. First, they make the playoffs. Second, they find out their opponents for the first round will be the Edmonton Oilers Then, they find out they have home ice advantage in the first round.Things are coming together as the first round for the Kings and Oilers will start at crypto.com arena as the Kings had one of the best home records in NHL history this season.
The Kings will play Edmonton again in the first round, as they have played each other the past three postseasons. The Oilers have come out on top each time, even though the series have been fairly close. This is the Kings’ fourth consecutive playoff appearance and 34th in franchise history.
The kings beat the Oilers 5-0 on Monday night to secure home ice. this was huge for Los Angeles as they went 31-5-4 at home this season, grabbing a .825 winning percentage at home and outscoring opponents 141-76. While the playoffs are indeed a different story, Los Angeles has to feel good going into the playoffs with such an amazing home record and home ice advantage.
During the 2024-25 season, the Kings led the seasons series between the two, beating Edmonton 3 games to 1 and outscoring them 12-4. Emotions will be running high, but the Kings have to feel good about their record against the team that knocked them out the previous three postseasons.
For the Kings, defensemen Joel Edmundson and Drew Doughty are expected to suit up for game 1. They have been out with injuries and could use some extra rest to prepare for a brutal upcoming series against the Oilers. For Edmonton, forward Leon Draisaitl will be back but defenseman Mattias Ekholm may be out the entire series with an injury. It will be interesting to see if both Doughty and Draisaitl will be back at full strength after suffering injuries.
Will Los Angeles forward Quinton Byfield be at full strength for game 1? He suffered an injury in the Kings’ 5-0 defeat of the Oilers. Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse stood over a prone Byfield and delivered a cross-check to the back of his head and Byfield laid on the ice without the ability to defend himself. Nurse was suspended one game for his actions.
The Kings seek retribution and will throw everything at the Oilers in the first round. Can Los Angeles stop Connor McDavid and Draisaitl? Can the Oilers solve Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who has been amazing all season? Whose special teams will gain the advantage? This will again be a close series as the Kings and Oilers will battle to move on in their quest for Lord Stanley.
(Photo: lakingsinsider.com; Zach Dooley)
(Photo: lakinsinsider.com; Zach Dooley)
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