If you’re a fan of the Edmonton Oilers, you’ve got to be thinking, ‘It has to happen soon, right?’ Game one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round matchup between the Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings begins tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern in Edmonton‘s Rodgers Place.
The Oilers are the number two seed in the west and have arguably three of the greatest players in the world in their top six. Very few teams, if any, can match Connor McDavid, Leon Draisitl, and Mark Hyman on the top two lines. The odds show a 71% chance of an Oilers victory in this series.
There Will be No Surprises for Oilers and Kings
These teams are no strangers. They’re meeting for the third straight year in playoffs. Edmonton took both series in seven games in 2022 and in six games last year. In those 13 games, nine were decided by two goals or less, while four needed overtime to decide a winner.
“It’s going to be a good series,” defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. We know them pretty well, and they know us pretty well, so I’m sure it’ll be a series of tactics and trying to get the most out of your own team. It’s a great challenge for us, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Special Teams will Decide This Series
Another strength of the Kings is their penalty kill. Los Angeles was the best in the league, killing just about 85% of penalties. They’re going to need to be strong against Edmonton. The Oilers were fourth in the league on the power play, at 26%.
The Kings are led by their big three: Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, and Anze Kopitar. All had 70 points or more, and let’s talk about Anze Kopitar for a second. He’s 36 years old and put up 70 points this year. There were exactly zero players in the NHL who scored 70 points or more at that age or older this season. The Slovenian center is an absolute lock for the Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Both Coaches are Rookies in the NHL
One of the unknowns in this series will be the coaches. Both Kris Knoblauch and the Kings Jim Hiller are rookies who have never coached an NHL post-season game.
“You never know until you’re in the fight, and when you go from game to game, that’ll obviously be changing,” Edmonton Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. “There are some differences. There are some things that, obviously, I have to adjust to. But since I got here – whether it’s regular season in the AHL, junior, or the NHL – I’ve coached quite similarly throughout it. And I know going into the playoffs, there will be changes that are different from my past experiences, but I’m going to rely heavily on them.”
The Kings are a better team than they were in 2023, but so are the Oilers. Take a look at the tale of the tape for the series beginning in Edmonton tonight:
Los Angeles Kings Edmonton Oilers
| 44-27-11 | Record | 49-29-06 |
| 99 | Points | 104 |
| 2.53 | Goals Per Game | 2.89 |
| 22.58% | Power Play | 26.34% |
| 254/210 | Goals For/Goals Against | 292/236 |
| 84.58% | Penalty Kill | 79.46% |
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Bradley Tachco is a career journalist. I spent 12+ years at CNN as a writer and producer. My sports: NHL, MLB, NFL. My goal: unique content. And my teams are the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills (yes, I’m a masochist), and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have been a Dodgers fan since I was old enough to think. I have gone through decades of despair with all three franchises. You can follow Bradley on X @p09691
