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Edmonton Oilers Versus Los Angeles Kings-Game 1

By Devon Hladunewich

Apr 4, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29), defenseman Cody Ceci (5), center Derek Ryan (10), center Klim Kostin (21) and defenseman Darnell Nurse (25) stand on the ice during the National Anthem prior to the game against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29), defenseman Cody Ceci (5), center Derek Ryan (10), center Klim Kostin (21) and defenseman Darnell Nurse (25) stand on the ice during the National Anthem prior to the game against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Edmonton Oilers finished the season on Thursday with a win against the San Jose Sharks. Tonight they will start the playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings are a good team, but if you look at the lineup the Edmonton Oilers should win this series.

In the regular season, the Kings and Oilers split the season series 2 games apiece. The plus side for the Edmonton Oilers is they won the last two meetings between these teams. The two games were high-stakes games with lots on the line.

The regular season means nothing right now though the postseason is a whole new type of season. The intensity goes way up and every single play in the game could be crucial. the thing about a best-of-seven series is the better team usually ends up winning in the end. This is why I think one-and-done playoffs are a terrible idea, it’s more exciting, but the best team rarely wins.

What Happened Between The Edmonton Oilers And Los Angeles Kings Last Year Doesn’t Matter

Last year the Edmonton Oilers were able to beat the Kings in seven games. The Kings were up 3-2 in the series and the Oilers won two in a row to move on to the next round. That means nothing this year. There are lots of changes in both teams.

Last season the Edmonton Oilers didn’t have Mattias Ekholm to hold down the second pair, and the Kings didn’t have their top dman in Doughty. The Oilers depth is greatly improved, while the Kings added Fiala.

The problem for the Kings is their injuries. Right now they 2 key injuries, Kevin Fiala (lower body), and Gabriel Vilardi (upper body). If these two players aren’t in the lineup it really hurts their chances of winning the series.

Projected Lines

Edmonton Oilers projected lineup

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Connor McDavid — Zach Hyman

Evander Kane — Leon Draisaitl — Kailer Yamamoto

Klim Kostin — Nick Bjugstad — Mattias Janmark

Warren Foegele — Ryan McLeod — Derek Ryan

Darnell Nurse — Cody Ceci

Mattias Ekholm — Evan Bouchard

Brett Kulak — Vincent Desharnais

Stuart Skinner

Jack Campbell

Scratched: Devin Shore, Philip Broberg

Injured: Ryan Murray (back)

Los Angeles Kings projected lineup

Quinton Byfield — Anze Kopitar — Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore — Phillip Danault — Viktor Arvidsson

Alex Iafallo — Blake Lizotte — Arthur Kaliyev

Carl Grundstrom — Rasmus Kupari — Jaret Anderson-Dolan

Mikey Anderson — Drew Doughty

Vladislav Gavrikov — Matt Roy

Sean Durzi — Sean Walker

Joonas Korpisalo

Pheonix Copley

Scratched: Zack MacEwen, Alex Laferriere

Injured: Alexander Edler (upper body), Kevin Fiala (lower body), Gabriel Vilardi (upper body)

The first game of the series is a chance to make a statement against that team. During last year’s playoffs, the Oilers lost all three game ones. It would be nice for the Oilers to not get every fan nervous. I think they will win in 5 games which means they will lose one game, I just don’t want it to be game one.

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