How the Los Angeles Kings can finally beat the Edmonton Oilers in the first round

The Los Angeles Kings were one of hockey’s best teams of the 2010s, winning two Stanley Cup championships and playing in some of the most exciting seven-game series of the decade.

But since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014, the Kings have not won a playoff series. In fact, they’ve been eliminated in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers in both 2022 and 2023. Now the two teams face off again, with Game 1 on Monday night in Edmonton.

On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss how the Kings could take down the Oilers and what to look for in Game 1.

Tyler Yaremchuk: It is part three in the rivalry between the Oilers and Kings, with Edmonton winning a few years ago in seven on home ice, and they won in six last season.

Let’s start this from the Kings’ perspective: what are the reasons to believe they can have a better fortune in this matchup?

Frank Seravalli: One: they know what to expect, having seen this two times before. Two: they can plant a seed of doubt by winning Game 1, which they’ve done twice in the last two years. This is a team in Edmonton that, sometimes, shoots itself in the foot. The way the Oilers start this series will be critically important.

When you’re trying to draw up a path for the Kings to win, it’s difficult, but it starts with a great start and utilizing the depth that they’ve put together. I don’t know if you can call it a fourth line, but they’re spread the depth with Quinton Byfield and Pierre-Luc Dubois together on what they call their fourth line. They’re trying to throw a balanced attack at the Oilers.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…