For the fourth straight year, the Edmonton Oilers will face off against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The last three series have all been different degrees of challenging for the Oilers. 2022 was a close back-and-forth seven gamer, 2023 involved an Oilers game four comeback that flipped the series, and 2024 was never in doubt for Edmonton.
2025 shapes up to be the closest version of this rivalry so far. The Oilers won’t the home ice advantage they enjoyed the last three seasons, nor will their roster be at 100% health. If the Kings are ever going to shed their Nothern Alberta demons, it appears this will be the best chance.
However, the Oilers are certainly not to be counted out. The defending Western Conference champions are still a team to be reckoned with, and although they seem vulnerable, you should count out a team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at your own peril. To beat Los Angeles this time, there are a number of areas the Oilers will need to find success in.
Let’s explore some of the keys to a successful series for Edmonton, and outline what’s going to be required to dispatch this year’s version of the Kings
Contributions from the depth
The high end skill of the Oilers speaks for itself. McDavid and Draisaitl are the league’s most fearsome forward duo, and although both of them have dealt with injury throughout the season, they both seem to be healthy for the playoff push.
However, it’ll take more than just the two-headed monster to get past the Kings. Los Angeles boasts impressive depth throughout their forward core. Aside from mainstays like Anze Kopitar, Phillip Danault, Adrian Kempe, Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala, the Kings have been buoyed by players like Trevor Moore, Alex Turcotte, Andrei Kuzmenko and former Oiler Warren Foegele.
The Kings lack the megastar power of the Oilers but they appear to have the superior supporting cast. If the Oilers are going to beat L.A. for a fourth year in a row, they’ll need their depth to respond in kind.
To the Oilers’ credit, forwards not named McDavid or Draisaitl have been clicking as of late. Connor Brown, Viktor Arvidsson, Jeff Skinner, Adam Henrique, Corey Perry, and Vasily Podkolzin have risen to the occasion in the run-up to the playoffs, counting for 18 goals and 11 assists in the last 10 games. This kind of play will need to continue if the Oilers are looking to succeed against their California rivals.
The potential returns of Trent Frederic and Evander Kane to the Oilers lineup will only help this depth issue. It seems that the Oilers have been fighting injuries all season, but it appears that everyone is getting healthy for the most important games of the year. Kane’s impact would be especially big. He terrorized the Kings in 2022, scoring nine points in the seven game series, with seven goals. Both Kane and Frederic would also bring extra physicality to the Oilers lineup, which is always welcome at playoff time, specifically against a tough Los Angeles team that promises a physical series.
The goaltending shows up
If the Oilers are going to get past L.A., Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard are going to have to show up. The Oilers have struggled with goaltending consistency all season, dealing with bouts of injury and poor play. Skinner’s down year (2.81 GAA, .896SV% in 50 games) hasn’t exactly inspired confidence, although he is just one year off backstopping the Oilers to Game 7 of the Cup Final. Calvin Pickard has preformed admirably in relief (2.71 GAA, .900SV% in 36 games), but he’s likely not a long-term solution for anything past a few games of a series.
These are the Oilers goalies, for better or for worse. If the Oilers are hoping to get past the Kings and repeat as Western Conference champions, they’ll need one of them to take the reins. Skinner’s season has hot and cold, but when he’s on, he’s a former Calder nominee who can absolutely steal a game if needed. He out-dueled Jake Oettinger for six games during last season’s Conference Final, including a heroic Game 6 performance that saw him stop 33 of 34 shots. Skinner’s career playoff .896SV% may not be sparkling, but he has shown in the past that when the chips are down, he can rise to the occasion.
Los Angeles goaltending may be statistically superior, and Darcy Kuemper has enjoyed a return to form this season (2.02 GAA, .922SV% in 50 games). However, the Oilers have solved the Kings goaltending in previous years. Jonathan Quick, Joonas Korpisalo, and Cam Talbot all enjoyed successful regular season before they faced Edmonton in the postseason. The Oilers don’t need Skinner or Pickard to put up Vezina numbers. Per StatMuse, Skinner was 36–15–5 last season when his save percentage was over .900. However, the Oilers will need the goaltending to hold strong if they’re looking to dispatch LA.
Gamebreakers make the difference
Playoff Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl need no introduction. In 2022 on one leg, Draisaitl scored an absurd 17 points in five games in the Western Conference semifinal against the Calgary Flames. McDavid had 42 points in 25 games in last year’s playoffs, becoming the sixth player ever to win the Conn Smythe while losing the Final. Both men’s reputations precede them as premier playoff performers. For the Oilers to advance past the Kings, they’ll need both men to be on their A-game.
The recent injury scares with both players may be cause for concern. Draisaitl hasn’t played since April 3 while he deals with a lower-body injury. Although he projects to be ready to roll for Game 1, his health status will continue to be a question if the Oilers embark on another deep run.
McDavid returned from injury on April 9, and has put up a pedestrian 10 points in his last four games (all assists). Safe to say he’s back to 100%. The Oilers will go so far as McDavid and Draisaitl take them, with respect to the other players on the roster. Their health status will be one of the biggest narratives of this series.
While the Kings thrive on depth, they lack the star power the Oilers possess. Even a player like Evan Bouchard is able to make a star-level impact on the blueline. If the Oilers’ best players are able to once again preform when it matters, they’ll stand a good chance to advance past LA for a fourth straight season. McDavid and Draisaitl have combined for 66 points in 36 combined games against the Kings in the playoffs, and if they’re both fully healthy, they could absolutely power the Oilers to another series win.
This is the most vulnerable the Oilers have looked going into the playoffs possibly in the McDavid era. The Kings are looking to finally beat their Pacific Division rivals and advance to the Conference semi-final.
However, the Oilers will not just roll over. The defending Western Conference champions have certainly heard all of the doubters over the past month, and although some may be counting them out, I would not doubt a McDavid and Draisaitl led team. It’ll take contributions from the depth, timely goaltending, and their star players to shine, but if the Oilers are able to get those keys, they’ll find themselves in the Western Conference semi-final for a fourth straight season.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
