Spring has sprung, the playoffs are around the corner, and as sure as the sun will rise earlier and earlier over Rogers Place, the Edmonton Oilers will face the LA Kings in the playoffs. Okay, it's not quite a sure thing yet, but fate has a way of making these things happen. As the Dallas Stars of the late 1990s and early 2000s did for many an Edmontonian, so have the Connor McDavid-era Oilers crushed the dreams of young Kings fans in numerous consecutive postseasons.
With Anze Kopitar set to retire, what better send off might there be than yet another playoff series loss to the Oilers?
Of course, that's all in jest, because in spite of the consistent series result, the Kings have been a tough challenge for Edmonton in each of the years they've faced one another, and this Oilers team isn't quite at the level of past iterations. Combining that with an inspired Kings club, wanting to send off Kopitar in victorious fashion, and this potential series has all the ingredients of an upset.
Oilers are simply better
It's fair to say that the Pacific division has been very weak in 2025/26. The best thing you could say about all the playoff teams is that they're inconsistent. The fact that the Kings are worse than the top three in the division (as of current standings) and that they're minus 20 in goal differential (the worst of any playoff club), says nobody should be calling them a favorite, or really even a dark horse.
Artemi Panarin was a nice addition to the lineup, instantly giving the team more offensive punch, but the Kings have more than one hole, and the unfortunate injury to Kevin Fiala at the Olympics means Panarin's scoring has to fill that gap, instead of simply being additional help. Meanwhile on the back end, Drew Doughty's battle with Father Time continues, and while he is still capable of an impact, his point totals aren't close to what they were a few years back.
Goalies, goalies, goalies
Darcy Kuemper's injury history and spotty recent play has meant opportunity for Kings backup Anton Forsberg to step in and play a larger role. Forsberg has been very good, recently shutting out the Oilers in the last head-to-head regular season meeting of the two teams. If he continues to stimmy Connor McDavid and company, allowing the Kings to protect 1-0 or 2-1 leads, the series result becomes less certain.
As mentioned in other recent articles, Connor Ingram seems to have stabilized the Oilers' netminding situation, but they're a pulled hamstring away from massive concerns. Personally I'd put Calvin Pickard back in if Ingram struggles or gets hurt. At this point in time, the Tristan Jarry trade needs to be looked at as the huge error it was and he should be a last resort, because he's unlikely to be a different player than the league worst goalie we saw in the regular season.
Do the Oilers want to play the LA Kings again? There isn't another team inthe league that's had more opportunity to build a strategy to contain McDavid and Draisaitl. Both teams have a strong hate for the other, and early physicality can lead to injuries in the moment or even wear and tear that could show itself in later rounds. The Oilers will once again be the favorite, but if they can avoid the repeat matchup, I think that's in the better interest. Let the Colorado Avalanche dash the Kings dreams this time around.
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