The Edmonton Oilers went into Game 1 of the 2024-25 Western conference quarter finals with playoff dominance over the LA Kings, winning the past three consecutive series in seven, six, and five games in 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively. Although this dominance is there, many did not pick the Oilers to win this series. The LA Kings are favored with an amazing 31-6-4 record at home and a 3-1 record against the Oilers in the 2024-25 regular season.
The Kings have a goaltender with a 2.20 GAA and 0.922 save percentage, and scoring depth that was not there last year. In addition, the Oilers “hopped” to the end of the regular season with several key players injured and many only returning for Game One. But, as many know, they have two of the best players in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and they can win games.
Game 1 was dominated by the LA Kings for more than 50 minutes with several goals that could have been avoided, especially the “Wayne Gretzky” style Quinton Byfield goal at 19:27 of the first period. Stuart Skinner is a tall goalie and should have been standing up a bit higher and hugged the post to save the goal that bounced off his back and into the net.
Evan Bouchard gave the puck away to Philip Danault in the second period, to result in a goal at 17:43 to give the Kings a 4-0 lead. He has done that so many times in the regular season, and to an area where no Oilers were and where two LA Kings were in the open slot area. Skinner had no chance on that play. So, these glaring lapses cost the Oilers' two goals and need to stop for them to have success.
Face-offs were key to a number of the goals in this game, with Edmonton winning 52.3 percent of the face-offs, including McDavid winning 58 percent of his face-offs taken. However, in the last 5:30 second of the third period, LA won 9/13 face-offs (69.2 percent) and Edmonton won 4/13 (30.7 percent).
The last 5:30 was critical to the comeback and winning more face-offs in the offensive zone would have been critical to driving the game to overtime or, by some miracle, scoring that sixth goal. Although the Oilers were dominated in the face-offs, they did mange to score two goals during the last 5:30 of the game. Winning more face-offs should have happened during the last 5:30 of of the game, to continue the momentum they were generating.
McDavid's amazing 4-point performance
McDavid was dazzling on Monday night and was deserving of a Star of the Game, but did not get one. His four-point performance sent messages to not only the LA Kings but to his teammates I think. It was very clear that Draisaitl was unhappy with the team’s performance and both of them took upon themselves to show the team how to play with skill and desire. McDavid did all he could have done to get the team back into the game.
There are many ways McDavid and Draisaitl can improve for Game 2 – make sure passes are cleaner and get to their destination or out of reach of the opponent and take more shots on the powerplay. The last goal was a McDavid giveaway that he would like back. The play that followed was very broken and Danault fanned on the shot to score and sent the crowd into an uproar. The hope is that the rest of the Oilers will improve for Game 2 and beyond, and all will demonstrate the desire to win that McDavid and Draisaitl showed on Monday night.
Game 2 will see a better performance by the Oilers
The Oilers are heartbroken but will be back stronger and playing more of their game we saw during the last 5-10 minutes of the third period, in Game 2 and for the rest of the first round (at least we hope). They have demonstrated that they can play with the LA Kings and put more than two goals past Darcy Kuemper. They have to stay out of the penalty box, draw more penalties and show more tenacity in their play in order to win the next game.
This will be long series that will toughen the Oilers up for the rest of the play-offs, as the Winnipeg Jets did in the 1980s in the first round against Edmonton. Game 1 demonstrated that both McDavid and Draisaitl might be playing at 100 percent health and that is bad news for the opponent. I have faith that the Oilers will find ways to fine tune their defense and cut down on giveaways to position themselves to win games. I still predict Edmonton to win in seven games, but it will be tough and not without nail biting action and emotional peaks and valleys.
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