Oilers vs Kings part IV

[Coffey]

Outside the Oil who even wants this matchup again and again.

This is fake news.

 

[Coffey]

I feel for Kings fans as a Leafs fan. Shades of the Bruins for us, are the Oilers for them. I hope they manage to slay the beast

Even the Canucks eventually beat the Hawks.

 

[Sol]

Oilers in 3

As a Kings fan nothing matters. Coaching strategy for the oilers has always been

If losing, double shift McDavid = profit.

When all a coach has to do is double shift McDavid then it’s not going to be hard.

Oilers always get power plays.

And you know what happens there.. McDavid does laps around the faceoff dots, draws three kings to him while Draisaitl is sleeping near the other faceoff dot doing nothing while waiting for McDavid to make him a pass while he’s there uncontested.

Kings still haven’t figured out that Draisaitl doesn’t ever move and maybe it’d make sense to put someone on him if the other three players are going to be holding onto dear life shadowing McDavid.

I know oilers fans like to think that Draisaitl for some reason should command similar respect but I just can’t see it. McDavid can get an entire squad on the ice scrambling to stop him. McDavids ability to control the game terrifies me. Draisaitl is usually just doing nothing near the face off dot.

 

[Little Psycho]

If special teams were removed from the series, I’d like the Kings chances a lot. Oilers have really taken advantage of their PP opportunities last few years.

 

[BigBrown]

It may or may not be closer than last year but I think the Oilers will win the series with their power play regardless. We've seen this story already. They'll punish the Kings hard for every penalty they take, eventually the Kings to be unable to play their game from fear of being shorthanded.

 

[Unlimited Chequing]

Wow, Oilers fans are typically a pretty confident bunch. It surprises me their feelings of this potential match up.

Unless this is a very well coordinated reverse jinx haha

 

[Ghetty Green]

Oilers in 4

 

[CupofOil]

Most of us Oilers fans aren't looking past the Kings at all. Not this year.

I've never looked past the Kings. The Oilers might have won the last 3 years but those series were wars.
Now the Oilers are banged up, a year older and slower and the Kings are better while also likely having home ice where they've been virtually unbeatable. I'm not sure the Oilers should even be the favorites tbh.

 

[landy]

Funny one of these teams could end up as the 8 seed in the West by points. The Pacific is such garbage.

 

[Duke74]

Oilers in 3

As a Kings fan nothing matters. Coaching strategy for the oilers has always been

If losing, double shift McDavid = profit.

When all a coach has to do is double shift McDavid then it’s not going to be hard.

Oilers always get power plays.

And you know what happens there.. McDavid does laps around the faceoff dots, draws three kings to him while Draisaitl is sleeping near the other faceoff dot doing nothing while waiting for McDavid to make him a pass while he’s there uncontested.

Kings still haven’t figured out that Draisaitl doesn’t ever move and maybe it’d make sense to put someone on him if the other three players are going to be holding onto dear life shadowing McDavid.

I know oilers fans like to think that Draisaitl for some reason should command similar respect but I just can’t see it. McDavid can get an entire squad on the ice scrambling to stop him. McDavids ability to control the game terrifies me. Draisaitl is usually just doing nothing near the face off dot.

Tell me you haven't watched the Oilers this year without telling me you haven't watched the Oilers.

 

[AvroArrow]

Divisional format is trash.

 

[Ghetty Green]

Funny one of these teams could end up as the 8 seed in the West by points. The Pacific is such garbage.

Stars got you shook eh ?

 

[Mr Nogatco]

Oilers win the rematch rematch rematch easily.

How many games?

 

[jeffff]

LA Kings

21/22.....99pts 2.87 gf/2,83 ga pp 16.1%, pk 76.7%
22/23....104pts 3.34gf/3.10 ga pp 25.3% pk 75.8 %
23/24....99 pts 3.1 gf/2.56 ga pp22.6% pk 84.6 %
24/25....93 pts (102 pace) 2.95 gf/2.49 ga pp 16.6% pk 81.7%


Explain to me how the Kings are best they've been out of the 4 years?

-Will they even hit 99 pts...they place EDM twice. Current pace will be behind the 23 team.
-They have the 2 worst goals per game out of the 4 this year but best goals against.
-Their powerplay is 3rd out of 4, could drop.5 % easily to be the worst.
-Their PK is 2nd.

Their strong suit is still their defense, which doesn't work against the Oilers. Kuempers save %tage against the Oilers in his last 4 games....967, .889, 811 and .808. GA......1.04, 2.85, 7.02 and 5.26

The Oilers have a game plan against the Kings, they're the same team they've been the last 3 series and know exactly how to beat them. The Kings have no answer. They know what they want to do, they just can't.

 

[BrickNHL]

Stars got you shook eh ?

What?

 

[syz]

Wow, Oilers fans are typically a pretty confident bunch. It surprises me their feelings of this potential match up.

Unless this is a very well coordinated reverse jinx haha

Their key players have been varying degrees of injured all season. I think Oilers fans just don't expect them to survive the playoffs, and realize that it may be difficult to compensate for Stuart Skinner in net if guys are playing hurt.

*If* McDavid and Ekholm come back healthy, and Hyman/Draisaitl aren't too bothered by whatever they've been playing through, and Kane comes back and is an impact player again after a year off, then yea I don't think this series will be close. Those are a lot of "ifs" though.

 

[WATTAGE4451]

Oilers in 3

As a Kings fan nothing matters. Coaching strategy for the oilers has always been

If losing, double shift McDavid = profit.

When all a coach has to do is double shift McDavid then it’s not going to be hard.

Oilers always get power plays.

And you know what happens there.. McDavid does laps around the faceoff dots, draws three kings to him while Draisaitl is sleeping near the other faceoff dot doing nothing while waiting for McDavid to make him a pass while he’s there uncontested.

Kings still haven’t figured out that Draisaitl doesn’t ever move and maybe it’d make sense to put someone on him if the other three players are going to be holding onto dear life shadowing McDavid.

I know oilers fans like to think that Draisaitl for some reason should command similar respect but I just can’t see it. McDavid can get an entire squad on the ice scrambling to stop him. McDavids ability to control the game terrifies me. Draisaitl is usually just doing nothing near the face off dot.

Draisaitl has putplayed mcdavid this year and carriednthe team while.m david has still been out.

In general though, yes mcdavid is a better playmaker. Draisaitl has a more wicked shot though and better goal scorer. When split apart from each ither, mcdavid tends to inflate guys like maroon and hymans goal totals making them better while draisaitl doesnt elevate the goal scoring of linemates that much but still carries line and pots goals on his own with his wicked shot.

 

[sepHF]

Wow, Oilers fans are typically a pretty confident bunch. It surprises me their feelings of this potential match up.

Unless this is a very well coordinated reverse jinx haha

they haven't looked like themselves all year

Draisaitl, Nurse Perry and Pickard are probably the only 4 players on the entire roster who have maintained or got better than last year. Almost everyone else has fallen off a cliff

 

[Spawn]

LA Kings

21/22.....99pts 2.87 gf/2,83 ga pp 16.1%, pk 76.7%
22/23....104pts 3.34gf/3.10 ga pp 25.3% pk 75.8 %
23/24....99 pts 3.1 gf/2.56 ga pp22.6% pk 84.6 %
24/25....93 pts (102 pace) 2.95 gf/2.49 ga pp 16.6% pk 81.7%


Explain to me how the Kings are best they've been out of the 4 years?

-Will they even hit 99 pts...they place EDM twice. Current pace will be behind the 23 team.
-They have the 2 worst goals per game out of the 4 this year but best goals against.
-Their powerplay is 3rd out of 4, could drop.5 % easily to be the worst.
-Their PK is 2nd.

Their strong suit is still their defense, which doesn't work against the Oilers. Kuempers save %tage against the Oilers in his last 4 games....967, .889, 811 and .808. GA......1.04, 2.85, 7.02 and 5.26

The Oilers have a game plan against the Kings, they're the same team they've been the last 3 series and know exactly how to beat them. The Kings have no answer. They know what they want to do, they just can't.

It’s more so that this is the worst Oilers team over the four year stretch and there’s a bunch of guys (including Ekholm and McDavid) who have questionable health going into the playoffs plus this unironically might be the worst goaltending the Oilers have ever had.

 

[bland]

I don't think the Kings have been soft vs the Oilers. The problem is the Kings physicality against the Oilers has led to penalties and being out of position. And the Kings just have no answer for the Oilers PP, no hyperbole in saying this, but I've never seen one NHL PP just completely dominate another NHL PK as much as EDM has done to LA. It's not flukey or run bad, they just somehow are able to find incredible amounts of space on the PP, the Kings collapse low to much and Bouchard is alone at the ladies tees. The Kings have not had good goaltending previously, and this year they do, and maybe that changes things, but I don't think it was poor goaltending that was the cause of many of the Oilers PP goals the last few years, you could give Hasek a pint of the fountain of youth and the Kings still lose the last two years.

I think the way to exploit the Oilers weaknesses is to attack them off the rush, but that is not how the Kings are built to generate offense. Another issue that the Kings have faced, and will face again this year is that during the times the Oilers do feel threatened they just play 97 and 39 together and double shift them. This has come back to bite the Oilers before as the playoffs drag on and the 22-25 min games catch up to them, but that will benefit Vegas and teams that face them later on, since the Kings/Oilers is again a 1st round matchup the Kings are at a great disadvantage in this regard again this season.

Hey, maybe the Kings can bring their lunch-pails and hard-hats, grind them to death, not take penalties, score some greasy goals and make it a series of 3-2 and 2-1 games, but I am not optimistic that is going to happen against 97 and 39. As RJ mentioned in an earlier reply, the Kings have had issues in recent years stopping the superstars of the league, despite being arguably the best defensive team in the NHL over the last four seasons. The Kings are kind of like the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NHL, they play good defense, they are well coached, they have a good culture with a good veteran room, but when it comes time to face Mahomes, Allen and Lamar in the playoffs they just don't have the horses to keep up offensively, and it's just really hard to slow down those types of guys to beat them 20-17

Edmonton has owned the Kings along the walls in the previous series. Kings defensemen got hounded, chipped the puck softly up the glass, and the Oilers won the vast majority of the 50/50s. The Kings inability to exit their zone with possession was a constant and significant advantage for Edmonton. Moving out Roy and Englund for Clarke and Edmundson means they will have at least one defender on the ice with the patience to pick out a clean pass at all times.

It hasn't just been the powerplay.

LA Kings

21/22.....99pts 2.87 gf/2,83 ga pp 16.1%, pk 76.7%
22/23....104pts 3.34gf/3.10 ga pp 25.3% pk 75.8 %
23/24....99 pts 3.1 gf/2.56 ga pp22.6% pk 84.6 %
24/25....93 pts (102 pace) 2.95 gf/2.49 ga pp 16.6% pk 81.7%


Explain to me how the Kings are best they've been out of the 4 years?

-Will they even hit 99 pts...they place EDM twice. Current pace will be behind the 23 team.
-They have the 2 worst goals per game out of the 4 this year but best goals against.
-Their powerplay is 3rd out of 4, could drop.5 % easily to be the worst.
-Their PK is 2nd.

Their strong suit is still their defense, which doesn't work against the Oilers. Kuempers save %tage against the Oilers in his last 4 games....967, .889, 811 and .808. GA......1.04, 2.85, 7.02 and 5.26

The Oilers have a game plan against the Kings, they're the same team they've been the last 3 series and know exactly how to beat them. The Kings have no answer. They know what they want to do, they just can't.

So the fact that nearly half the Kings roster has changed, the system they use is completely different, have improved everywhere across the board means nothing to you because of some stats, huh?

The Kings are going to beat the Oilers and I think it will be pretty shocking on just how easily they will do it.

 

[McHelpus]

I'm not sure Kings fans have seen Stuart Skinner this year, if you can't beat him then you might as well blow the team up.

 

[Hank Plank]

How many games?

Probably 5.

 

[McShogun99]

LA Kings

21/22.....99pts 2.87 gf/2,83 ga pp 16.1%, pk 76.7%
22/23....104pts 3.34gf/3.10 ga pp 25.3% pk 75.8 %
23/24....99 pts 3.1 gf/2.56 ga pp22.6% pk 84.6 %
24/25....93 pts (102 pace) 2.95 gf/2.49 ga pp 16.6% pk 81.7%


Explain to me how the Kings are best they've been out of the 4 years?

-Will they even hit 99 pts...they place EDM twice. Current pace will be behind the 23 team.
-They have the 2 worst goals per game out of the 4 this year but best goals against.
-Their powerplay is 3rd out of 4, could drop.5 % easily to be the worst.
-Their PK is 2nd.

Their strong suit is still their defense, which doesn't work against the Oilers. Kuempers save %tage against the Oilers in his last 4 games....967, .889, 811 and .808. GA......1.04, 2.85, 7.02 and 5.26

The Oilers have a game plan against the Kings, they're the same team they've been the last 3 series and know exactly how to beat them. The Kings have no answer. They know what they want to do, they just can't.

At least TM isn’t there anymore to force the Kings to play the trap while the Oilers are leading.

 

[Beninnola]

Just as a fan of neither…

I’d selfishly prefer something different.

Not because I want a different result, just maybe it’s been too many in a row and yeah

Imma try a new method to predict outcomes this year and won’t do that until the season ends. Best of luck to both.

 

[Spirits]

Looks almost certain we will have a Kings vs oilers 4th straight year 1st round matchup. Curious if this bores Oilers fans but hope for it because they like the matchup? Kings fans, bored with this and hope for anything else or do you WANT it and to slay the dragon? Neutral fans, guessing you will be bored by this series or no?

Oilers need their free quest through the weakest division in the NHL as per usual. They will get stomped when they play a real team...as per usual.