State Your Case: Kings or Oilers in 1st round 

The Edmonton Oilers will face the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference First Round – again.

The Oilers (49-27-6) and Kings (44-27-11) will play in the first round for the third straight season. Edmonton eliminated Los Angeles in six games last season and in seven games in 2022.

The Oilers, who finished second in the Pacific Division, will have home-ice advantage in the best-of-7 series. The Kings finished third in the Pacific.

Game 1 is Monday at Rogers Place (10 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, CBC, TVAS).

Despite Edmonton winning the past two series, none of that matters this year. 

So who will win this series? That’s the question before staff writers Derek Van Diest and Mike Morreale in this playoff edition of State Your Case. 

Van Diest: The third time will not be the charm for the Kings. The Oilers seem to have the Kings figured out. Los Angeles plays a trap game and tries to clog up as much space as possible through the neutral zone. Against a team like Edmonton, which has so many offensive weapons, it can be frustrating, and a younger version of the Oilers probably would get impatient playing that type of opponent. But the Oilers are older, more experienced and have proven they can play a well-structured, methodical game when required and won’t force the issue against the Kings as they may have done in the past. Edmonton had three seasons to figure out the best way to beat Los Angeles and I believe they have it down pat. The Oilers won three of the four games against the Kings this season and were convincing 4-1 winners in the final game of the season series. I think this will be a shorter series than the two previous ones between the teams.

Morreale: Points well taken, Derek. The Oilers are a scary group and did get the best of the Kings in the regular season, but you can't ignore the fact Los Angeles has been in playoff mode for the past month and to its credit, went 6-2-0 in the last eight regular-season games to get it done. We all know Edmonton thrives on shot generation, but the Kings have allowed the fourth fewest shots against per game (28) this season and it'll only get tighter as they bear down in the postseason. There's plenty of credit to go around, including the leadership and spirited play of ageless wonders Anze Kopitar (70 points), a center, and defenseman Drew Doughty (50 points), each remaining key cogs in the success at critical positions. But these Kings have become diversified, too. For just the second time since 2007, in fact, someone other than Kopitar led the team in points (Adrian Kempe, 75 points; Kevin Fiala, 73 points) and Trevor Moore established NHL career highs in goals (31) and points (56).

Van Diest: I agree Mike, the Kings have been playing playoff hockey for the last month of the regular season and then did well to turn things around once Jim Hiller took as coach on Feb. 2. I think Kopitar and Doughty are great players, but they are a bit past their prime and I’m not sure the Kings are built for a long playoff run, at least not this season. The Oilers top players, meanwhile, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are in their prime and have been through some tough playoff battles in the past three years. McDavid and Draisaitl are on a mission this postseason and will be tough to stop. And while I think Cam Talbot is a capable goalie and had a good season, I don’t think he’ll be able to hold off the Oilers for an entire series. If the Kings can steal a game in Edmonton, then I think it could make for an interesting series and put pressure on the Oilers. If Edmonton plays the way it can in the first two games at home, then I feel it will be tough for Los Angeles to hold them off when the scene shifts to California. 

Morreale: There's no doubt McDavid and Draisaitl are on a mission this postseason, but the Kings seem poised for the upset after getting knocked out in the first round by the Oilers the past two seasons. For starters, that second line of Phillip Danault centering Moore and Viktor Arvidsson has been a nightmare for opposing defenders, particularly since Arvidsson enjoys getting under the skin of the League's top players. Since Hiller took over as interim coach, Los Angeles is 21-12-1 and the structure instilled has worked wonders, particularly on defense. The Kings allowed 2.56 goals-per game, the third lowest average in the NHL. At 34 years old, Doughty logged the second-most ice time of any player this season and is surrounded by a group of young and formidable defensive-defensemen exhibiting smarts and toughness. The last line of defense is probably the area that will most frustrate the Oilers: goalies Cam Talbot and David Rittich, who each finished among the League's top 11 in goals-against average and save percentage. Finally, if Los Angeles does steal a game in Edmonton, look out because the Kings rank second in the League on home ice (13-3-1) since the All-Star break.