The Edmonton Oilers are going to face the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for the fourth straight year. Things have always gone the Oilers’ way with them taking the first three series in seven, six, and five games.
This year brings a different view, with the Los Angeles Kings having home-ice advantage for the first time. Will they be able to take advantage of this? Or will the Edmonton Oilers take over in California?
Kings have been dominant on home ice
Looking into the home and away records for both teams raises some serious worry for the Edmonton Oilers. They have been a better team at home this season where they have recorded 25 wins and 53 points. On the road, they have a slightly worse record with 22 wins and 46 points. The significant worry for the Oilers in this series is the record that the Kings hold on home ice.
The Kings have been the best team in the NHL on home ice. Their outstanding record of 31–5–4 poses a huge threat to the Oilers. Some good news is that the Kings struggle on the road where they have a record of 16–19–5. This provides some comfort toward the Oilers’ chances in the playoff series as they have dominated the Kings in previous playoff series.
Certain players to watch
Looking into some home and away stats, now is the time to look at some specific players to watch in this series.
1) Leon Draisaitl
The number one player to watch in this series is Leon Draisaitl. He has been the best player for Oilers this season recording 52 goals in 71 games. The forward has been impressive while playing on the road this season. He has scored 28 goals and 57 points across 36 games on the road.
Looking at his playoff career against the Kings, he has 12 points through eight games played in Los Angeles. This makes him an easy to choice to put at number one.
2) Adrian Kempe
Adrian Kempe is wrapping up an excellent season with the Los Angeles Kings. He has hit the 30-goal mark for the third time in his career, displaying his consistent play year after year. This season he has been a force on home ice, where he has recorded 40 points in 40 games.
Kempe is the main driver of the Kings offence, which gives a hint as to why he leads the team in shots on goal at home with 115. In 18 career playoff games against the Oilers, he has 19 points. An interesting takeaway from this is that only five of those 19 points have been recorded on home ice.
3) Connor McDavid
Forward Connor McDavid is another play to watch for the Edmonton Oilers. Apart from McDavid and Draisaitl, the Oilers struggle to score lots on the road. McDavid is second on the team with 45 points in 33 road games this season.
Looking into his career totals against the Kings, McDavid has 16 points in eight games played in Los Angeles. The Kings tend to struggle mightily to keep McDavid and Draisaitl off the scoresheet. Will this continue in this series? Or will the Kings take advantage on home ice?
4) Andrei Kuzmenko
As shocking as it might be, Andrei Kuzmenko has had a phenomenal start in Los Angeles. Kuzmenko started the season with the Calgary Flames. He was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers midseason and was later dealt to the Kings at the trade deadline.
Kuzmenko has made an immediate impact, especially on home ice. The 29-year-old has put up 15 points in 14 home games. This will be Kuzmenko’s first taste of playoff hockey, where he looks to keep things rolling.
Injury problems in Edmonton
As the Stanley Cup Playoffs draw nearer, the Oilers are in serious injury problems. The list has gone on and on lately and Oiler fans are getting worried about how this could affect them in the playoffs.
The injury list has included:
Forwards: Trent Frederic, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, and Evander Kane (who has been injured all season).
McDavid has recently returned to the lineup but missed the latest game against the Los Angeles Kings due to maintenance reasons. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug has also reported that Trent Frederic and Evander Kane are questionable for Game 1 of the playoffs. All the other injured forwards should be ready for Game 1.
Defencemen: Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, and Troy Stecher have been dealing with recent injuries. The worst one was dealt to Mattias Ekholm who will be out long-term. This is a massive loss for the Edmonton Oilers as Ekholm is their best defensive defenceman. Jake Walman and Troy Stecher should be ready to go for game one of the Stanley Cup playoffs, bringing a sigh of relief. The trade to bring Jake Walman over from the San Jose Sharks looks even better now.
Goalies: Stuart Skinner missed a little bit of time with a concussion he received against the Dallas Stars. This was a worrisome injury as any injury to the head is no joke. Thankfully, the goaltender made his return to action in a 4–1 victory against the Winnipeg Jets. Skinner stopped 17 of 18 shots, recording his 25th win of the season.
Will the Kings take advantage of the beaten-down Edmonton Oilers? Or do the Oilers still have what it takes to make a deep playoff run?
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
