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The Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers are locking horns in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth straight year. Edmonton took the first three matchups, taking advantage of home-ice advantage each time.
It’s LA’s turn to own the home ice, however, and the Kings did just that in the series opener, winning 6-5. That was the second time in a week Los Angeles had brought out the offense after blanking the Oilers on the road last week, 5-0. The Kings were one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs, winning 8-of-10, and now get to put their league-best 31-6-4 home record to the task, as they did last night.
Let’s break down each team’s play in Game 1 while previewing tonight’s matchup and our Oilers @ Kings NHL pick.
The Oilers went deep in the hole in their playoff opener, trailing 4-0 late in the second period and 5-3 with less than three minutes left in regulation. Edmonton showed how hard they will be to put away with a relentless offense, as they scored twice in less than a minute to force overtime.
The problem is a defense that can’t seem to stop the Kings, surrendering 11 goals in two games in a week. Connor McDavid led Edmonton last night with 1 goal and 3 assists, while Leon Draisatl and Corey Perry had a goal and an assist each, and Evan Bouchard added 3 assists.
Draisatl’s output, in particular, is important, as he missed the Oilers’ last seven regular season games. His 106 points still led the team, good for third in the regular season. McDavid finished the season with an even 100 points, the fifth straight season he has hit the century mark. He became the fourth player in NHL history with eight seasons of 100 or more points.
Stuart Skinner allowed six goals in the opener, and he and the defense need to find their form quickly, or Los Angeles will have them in a 2-0 hole.
Philip Danault scored twice, Adrian Kempe and Andrei Kuzmenko chipped in with a goal and 2 assists apiece, and Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala each tallied a goal and an assist as the Kings became just the fourth team in league history to win in regulation despite blowing a four-goal lead, according to ESPN.com.
Including that win, the Kings have taken four of five from the Oilers this season. That includes three wins against them in less than three weeks. Moreover, last night’s victory re-establishes Crypto.com Arena as a home fortress. Despite the team’s stellar season record there, Los Angeles had only gone 4-3 in its last seven regular season home contests.
Darcy Kuemper won all three of those games in goal for the Kings and posted a 31-11-7 this season. His 2.02 goals allowed average was second in the NHL, while his .922 save percentage was third in the league. Game 1 was one of his worst performances between the pipes all season. It was just the third time he had allowed five or more goals this campaign.
The Kings won Game 1, but they do not want a consistent shootout with the Oilers, as they do not have the offensive firepower to do so. With Draisatl back, Edmonton can go full bore against Kuemper and Los Angeles’s defense.
Will Draisatl revert to regular season form when he led the league with 52 goals? Although it took them nearly two periods to do so, Edmonton got off the blocks and scored five goals in just over 22 minutes. That could be a harbinger of things to come for the Kings.
Look for Draisatl to tally another goal tonight as Edmonton attempts to even the series.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.