The Los Angeles Kings will be kicking off the NHL Playoffs against the team they know all too well in the Edmonton Oilers. The division rival has ended the Kings season the past three years in the first round and the series haven't really been that close with the Oilers winning in five last season.
For the Los Angeles Kings, the good news is that they won three of the four meetings this season, including outscoring them 8-0 in the two games this month. Let's take a look at the upcoming series and some of the questions for the latest installment of this rivalry.
Can the Los Angeles Kings put playoff history behind them?
The biggest question for the LA Kings is whether or not they can put history behind them and forget the fact that they have lost the last three playoff meetings. This season, the Kings have been very successful against the Oilers as they are 3-1 this season and that is one of the reasons they finished ahead of Edmonton in the standings and secured home ice.
That is one of the big differences from the previous three meetings as the Oilers would finish in second each season. Could that be the deciding factor? Only time will tell.
It will also be interesting to see how the Kings respond when the Oilers win a game. How do they respond or do they let history create more doubt and cause them to play tighter, which gives Edmonton the ability to control the momentum of the series. This series is as much about the play on the ice as it is not letting what happened in the past impact the present.