LA Kings vs Edmonton Oilers Game 1 Preview: Key Points, Projected Lines, and More

Here we are. October through mid-April has gotten us to where we are—game one tonight against the Edmonton Oilers.

A Look at the Season Series and Goalie Numbers:

The Kings won the season series 3-1, outscoring the Oilers 12-4. Adrian Kempe led LA in scoring in these matchups with one goal and four assists for five total points. Quinton Byfield followed up with four points of his own. On the Edmonton side, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid each had two points, but only suited up for two games.

In goal, Darcy Kuemper went 3-1-0 with a .960 save percentage and a 1.05 goals-against average and was part of two shutouts. In his career, Kuemper is 13-4-4 against Edmonton, posting a 2.22 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.

For Edmonton, Stuart Skinner will get the start. Skinner faced LA only twice this year, going 1-0-1 with a 1.95 GAA and a 932%. In his regular season career against LA, Skinner is 6-2-1 with a 1.91 GAA and a .941 save percentage.

Key Points for Game One Against the Edmonton Oilers:

1. Strike First

The team to open the scoring in prior playoff matchups has been extremely successful.

Whichever team has scored first has a record of 16-2. What seems like such a minor thing carries such a major impact on these games. This is especially true with LA holding home ice. The building is going to be rocking. This scenario, with home ice to start a series, is something these fans have not experienced since 2016, when the likes of Milan Lucic and Kris Versteeg were in the lineup. The Kings have talked all year about how much they love playing infront of their fans and how it really pushes them. Now, with the crowd going to be louder than ever, it is up to the Kings to take that next step and continue to play for the LA faithful.

It all starts tonight.

2. Special Teams

It wouldn't be a Kings vs. Oilers playoff series without highlighting the importance of special teams.

From an LA perspective, it just simply needs to be better. LA failed to score on the man advantage last playoff, while Edmonton struck at over 40% in their brief five-game series. Something that really benefits the Kings is the league-wide low of penalties. On top of that, Edmonton's power play had a down year, really hurting the offensive production of guys like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman. The Kings' power play has also been much better. It does not need to be perfect, but if the Kings can click at 18-20 percent while having more penalty kill success, this series will be much different.

3. Hold Your Ground

Home ice is nice, but the LA Kings need to take true advantage of it.

Since 2021-22, in their first matchup, the Kings are an ugly 2-6 at Crypto.com Arena. In those games, LA has been outscored 31-18, giving LA an ugly 3.87 goals against average in playoff home games. While these numbers are somewhat skewed by a couple of blowout losses, the Kings need to find a way to stick to their defensive structure, shutting down Edmonton and causing frustration on their part.

Strike first, like we mentioned above; get the crowd into it, and keep rolling.

Projected Lineups:

Here is how LA lined up over the weekend during practice:

Outside of Tanner Jeannot, Jim Hiller's group enters the playoffs fully healthy.

On the Edmonton side, here is how they looked at practice:

Evander Kane will not play, while Trent Frederic sounds more like a game-time decision. Mattias Ekholm and Troy Stecher are out.

How to Tune In:

Tonight's puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PST and 10:00 p.m. EST and is available to watch on FanDuel Sports Network West and ESPN2. On the FanDuel side, a pre-game show begins 30 minutes prior. An audio-only feed is available on the ESPN LA app. Go Kings Go!