The Edmonton Oilers showed an epic implosion on Monday night at home against the LA Kings, with the 5-0 blanking highlighted by a total of 53 penalty minutes as frustration boiled over. But beyond the blanking and the implosion the Oilers lost home-ice advantage, as the loss allowed the Kings to lock up second place and home-ice advantage, in the first round of the 2025 NHL playoffs.
For the Oilers, playing without several regulars like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman zapped virtually all of the offense from the team’s lineup. On the defensive side, the Oilers rolled with Calvin Pickard, and well, while he tried to hold his own, he was unable to keep his team in the game and carry them on his back, so the result was evident on the scoreboard.
"It's heated. I think everyone knows what's ahead of us, a gruelling series."
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 15, 2025
The #Oilers were handed a 5-0 defeat by the Kings tonight in a game that saw nearly 70 minutes in penalties recorded between the teams in the first & middle periods. @paigymartin has your summary. pic.twitter.com/3ZNFwrflcP
At this point, the question begs: What happens now? What happens now that the Oilers are doomed the open the first round on the road? While that wouldn’t necessarily be a major concern, in this case, it is. Edmonton will open the 2025 NHL playoffs against the best home team in the league this season. The Kings are 31-5-4 at home this season. In comparison, the Kings are 16-19-5 on the road.
Now, I will say this: That’s the Kings’ regular-season home and away record. That means diddly-squat in the playoffs. It doesn’t matter what record teams have or how many points they locked up. The only thing that matters is winning four games to advance.
Edmonton Oilers' frustration boiled over on Monday night against Kings
Perhaps the most glaring situation in Monday night’s game was how frustration boiled over for the Oilers. This game wasn’t only about playing a physical game. There were instances in which Edmonton lost control. A good example came on Darnell Nurse’s cross-check on Quinton Byfield in the second period:
Darnell Nurse was issued a major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking Quinton Byfield. pic.twitter.com/J7yFs492ce
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 15, 2025
The replay showed Nurse slamming Byfield’s head on the ice during a scrum in front of the net. The play was essentially dead when Nurse took the shot at Byfield’s head. Fortunately, Byfield was alright, but it cost Nurse a game misconduct.
Beyond that being a dangerous play, it was a glaring example of how frustration got the better of the Oilers. That’s something the team cannot afford to let happen, especially in the 2025 NHL playoffs. It remains to be seen if Nurse will face any supplemental discipline. If he does, it’ll mean the Oilers will be down another defenseman for an unforeseen number of games in the first round.
Edmonton has one more game remaining on its regular-season schedule. If Nurse does face a suspension, that final game could help offset the suspension’s overall impact of his absence. That game will be against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night. The Edmonton Oilers must keep their heads about them, hopefully hitting the playoffs on a positive note.
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