2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Oilers vs. Kings 1st-round preview

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features 16 teams in eight best-of-7 series, which start Monday.
Today, NHL.com previews the Western Conference First Round between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.

(P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (P3) Los Angeles Kings

Oilers: 50-23-9, 109 points
Kings:47-25-10, 104 points
Season series:EDM 2-2-0; LAK 2-2-0
Game 1:Monday, 10 p.m. ET; ESPN. CBC, SN, TVAS, BSW
The Oilers and Kings face off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Last season, Connor McDavid led the Oilers back from down 3-2 in the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round with two points in a Game 6 win at Crypto.com Arena, and two more in Game 7 at Rogers Place to advance.
The physical series saw Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl sustain an ankle injury when tackled by Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson during a scrum in Game 6. Draisaitl played Game 7, but the injury lingered through the rest of the playoffs.
Drew Doughty returns for the Kings to face McDavid in the playoffs for the first time. The defenseman sustained a wrist injury against the Boston Bruins on March 7, 2022, and had season-ending surgery April 11.
"I'm excited for that opportunity," Doughty said. "I love playing against him. It's super difficult, but you got to be on your toes at all moments. I'm starting to learn his game a little more from watching and playing against him, and I'm sure he's learning about] me too, so it's going to be an absolute battle out there. But if we do our jobs the way we know we can, I think we'll be a big factor into whether or not we win this series."
The Oilers and Kings played four times this season and McDavid hit Anderson from behind 1:28 into the penultimate game. Edmonton's captain was assessed a boarding minor and Anderson had to leave the game with an undisclosed injury and missed the next five.
Anderson is back in the lineup.
"I think anytime you play a team in the playoffs, and it goes seven, all those types of things play a factor," McDavid said. "Definitely, the games were emotional for both sides, and I think this will be the same."
The teams split the season series with the Oilers winning the final two games, 2-0 in Edmonton on March 30 and 3-1 in Los Angeles on April 4.
"We've only played them, I think, 15 times in the last calendar [year]*
The Oilers are healthy. Forward Ryan McLeod returned to play the final two games of the regular season after missing 12 with an upper-body injury.
The Kings could be without two of their top forwards for Game 1. Kevin Fiala (72 points; 23 goals, 49 assists) and Gabriel Vilardi (41 points; 23 goals, 18 assists). Fiala did not play the final six games because of a lower-body injury. Vilardi missed the last nine with an upper-body injury.
Los Angeles defenseman Alexander Edler could be ready for Game 1 after missing the last five games with an upper-body injury.
"He's very fit, he's got a ton of experience," McLellan said. "He can go in and play."
McLellan is in his fourth season with the Kings. He previously coached the Oilers and was fired 20 games into his fourth season in 2018-19.
Current Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft was McLellan's assistant in Edmonton and the two worked on the San Jose Sharks coaching staff.
"We did work together for 13 years, but for the last five, we've worked apart," Woodcroft said. "We've grown in different ways, and I know they are going to be prepared and we're going to be prepared. In the end, it's the Edmonton Oilers versus the Los Angeles Kings."

Game breakers

Oilers:McDavid had the best offensive season by a player in 27 years. He won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring leader with 153 points (64 goals, 89 assists) and the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals. He could win his third Hart Trophy voted as the NHL most valuable player and fourth Ted Lindsay Award presented to most outstanding player as voted by members of the NHL Players' Association. Though the Stanley Cup has eluded the Oilers captain, he now has a supporting cast around him and does not have to win games on his own, which was the case in his four previous playoff appearances. He will be difficult to contain.
Kings:Anze Kopitar is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings (2012, 2014). The captain is one of the few remaining players from the championship years and is still the offensive leader. The 35-year-old had 74 points (28 goals, 46 assists) this season, surpassing his totals from each of the previous four. He will also be relied on to keep the Oilers' high-powered offense in check and expected to match up against Draisaitl (128 points; 52 goals, 76 assists) as much as possible. His leadership will be relied on heavily if the Kings are going to pull off the upset.

Goaltending

Oilers:Stuart Skinner is in his first full season with the Oilers and won the starting job ahead of Jack Campbell, who Edmonton signed as an unrestricted free agent July 13, 2022. The 24-year-old was selected by the Oilers in the third round (No. 78) of the 2017 NHL Draft. He broke a team record for most wins by a rookie goalie (29-14-5), previously held by Grant Fuhr (28-5-14) in 1981-82. Skinner had a 2.75 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and one shutout. He's 14-1-1 in his past 16 starts and has not given up more than a goal in his previous four. Prior to joining the Oilers, Skinner played for Bakersfield of the American Hockey League and Wichita of the ECHL and won a Western Hockey League championship with Swift Current in 2018. If he struggles or is injured, the Oilers could turn to Campbell, the projected starter at the beginning of the season. Campbell struggled with consistency, going 21-9-4 with a 3.41 GAA, .888 save percentage and one shutout.
Kings:Joonas Korpisalo was acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 1. He was 7-3-1 with a 2.13 GAA, .921 save percentage and one shutout in 11 starts for Los Angeles, which traded two-time Cup winner Jonathan Quick for the 28-year-old. Quick, 37, was 11-13-4 with a 3.50 GAA, .876 save percentage and one shutout before being traded to Columbus and then sent to the Vegas Golden Knights. With Korpisalo, the Kings upgraded their goaltending and brought in a reliable partner for Pheonix Copley, a 31-year-old who was 24-6-3 with a 2.64 GAA, .903 save percentage and one shutout. Korpisalo and Copley alternated starts toward the end of the season, and Los Angeles is comfortable with either one.

Numbers to know

Oilers:Edmonton had the best power play in NHL history (32.4 percent), ahead of the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens (31.9 percent), and scored 89 of its NHL-leading 325 goals with the man-advantage. Draisaitl had 32 power-play goals, highest in the NHL. McDavid had 21, and the most single season points since Mario Lemieux finished with 161 (69 goals, 92 assists) for the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins. The Oilers had three players with at least 100 points, including Ryan Nugent-Hopkins' NHL career-high 104 (37 goals, 67 assists), and 13 players who scored at least 10 goals. Edmonton went 18-2-1 after acquiring defenseman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators on Feb. 28.
Kings:They have not won a playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014. If they are unable to defeat the Oilers, they would match a team record for most years between series wins. It has been 21 years since a Kings goalie other than Quick won a playoff game (Felix Potvin, Game 6 of 2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals). The Kings have five players with Stanley Cup Final experience (Kopitar, Doughty, Edler, Viktor Arvidsson, Phillip Danault). They had the 24th-ranked penalty kill (75.8 percent), giving up 65 power-play goals this season, and the fourth-best power play (25.3 percent), scoring 68 goals. Four came in a 6-3 win against the Oilers on Jan. 9.

X-factors

Oilers:Evander Kane could be a major factor in the length of Edmonton's playoff run. The forward was limited to 41 games because of injury and had 28 points (16 goals, 12 assists). He provides a physical presence and adds secondary scoring. Last season, Kane had 17 points (13 goals, four assists) in 15 playoff games to help the Oilers reach the Western Conference Final. The key for him is providing a physical element without crossing the line and giving the Kings power-play opportunities.
Kings:Danault should line up against McDavid for most of the series, more so when the Kings have the last change on home ice. He helped check McDavid early in the series last season but was unable to contain him for the duration of it. Danault is an excellent two-way center and will be expected to contribute offensively. He had 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists) this season and the Kings will need him to score if Fiala and Vilardi are sidelined. The series may be determined by how well Danault plays.

They said it

"There is just a renewed energy. You play 82 games in a season to play in the real season. It's almost like a new year. You're excited about your team and the opportunity you have ahead of you." -- Oilers forward Zach Hyman
"They got better as a team. We also got better. We got more experience than we did last year. They got better defensively. So it's going to feel like a whole new series, but at the same time we kind of know each other." -- Kings center Phillip Danault

Will win if…

Oilers:They play a patient game and not give up chances on the rush looking to generate offense. The Oilers averaged nearly four goals per game (3.96), which should be enough for them to advance. They will need to avoid injuries, particularly on defense, where they lack depth and will be relying on young players Evan Bouchard, 23, Philip Broberg, 21, and rookie Vincent Desharnais, 26.
Kings:They can be physical without taking penalties. They do not have enough offense to keep up with the Oilers and need to play strong defensively and limit the number of chances against. Korpisalo must have a good series and the Kings need to make the most of its power-play opportunities. Kopitar may see a lot of the Oilers' top two lines and must be strong at both ends of the ice.

How they look

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)
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)