Oilers have one advantage in first-round series against Kings
Oilers have one advantage in first-round series against Kings
They say only the greatest movies get a fourth installment. Or something like that.
For the fourth straight year, the Edmonton Oilers are heading to Hollywood for a playoff showdown against the Los Angeles Kings.
Sound familiar? Yes, fans on both sides might agree it’s getting a little repetitive. Kings fans are probably tired of coming up short. And honestly, who could blame them?
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman might love this familiar matchup, but no matter how you feel about the playoff format, one thing’s clear: This year’s Kings team is looking better than ever.
In fact, for the first time in recent memory, L.A. finished ahead of Edmonton in the Pacific Division standings. It had had a strong regular season, and lots of folks think these Kings have a real shot at finally beating the Oilers.
Over the next few days, I’ll dive into every aspect of this exciting series to see who holds the advantage in key areas. Today, let’s kick things off by looking at offense, which is the one area where the Oilers should have the edge.
In the last three regular seasons, the Kings haven’t once outscored the Oilers. This year is no different. Heading into Wednesday night, Edmonton had scored 13 more goals than L.A. That’s not a huge margin, but still significant.
Here’s the thing: Star power has always been the big separator between these two teams.
Sure, the Kings have some amazing talent, including future Hall of Famers Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. But when it comes to game-breaking superstars who can dominate on a nightly basis? There are two in this series, and they both wear orange and blue.
Come playoff time, the Oilers usually tighten things up and play a more structured game. They don’t rely on trading high-risk chances. Instead, they grind opponents down with sustained pressure. Yet even with that disciplined style, offensive explosions have been common against L.A.
In their last 18 playoff meetings, the Oilers scored five or more goals seven times. That’s a huge number. And here’s what’s interesting: In four of those seven games, they didn’t even need all five goals. There were some blowouts, and mostly, the Oilers were on the winning end.
But let’s focus on right now.
This year’s Oilers group may have had its ups and downs (largely due to injuries), but when they’re healthy, their forward depth is unmatched. Imagine a lineup featuring Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Henrique down the middle. Kris Knoblauch has that luxury.
The Kings, meanwhile, have solid depth, too. Seven of their forwards scored at least 15 goals this season. But the Oilers? They had nine forwards reach double-digit goals, with seven scoring more than 15. Simply put, Edmonton has a deeper, more balanced offensive attack.
Looking beyond pure goals, the Oilers also generate more quality scoring chances. At 5v5, Edmonton’s 2.87 expected goals per 60 minutes ranks second in the NHL. L.A. is good, too (ranked ninth), but it has cooled off recently. Over the last 25 games, the Oilers stayed strong (sixth best in the league), while the Kings slipped down to 17th.
And remember, Edmonton achieved that without a fully healthy lineup. This tells me its supporting cast is gaining momentum and confidence at just the right time. That could be huge.
Overall, the Kings have improved their offense compared to past seasons. They’re no longer just a defensive-minded team hoping for low-scoring, tight-checking victories.
But when it comes to pure offensive firepower, the Oilers still have the clear advantage. Their stars can take over at any moment, and their depth scoring is catching fire at the perfect time.
Expect Edmonton’s offense to give it the edge once again as this playoff rivalry heats up.
This article first appeared on Oilersnation and was syndicated with permission.
