A year ago the Edmonton Oilers went into the first round of the playoffs with moderate expectations. They were the favorites against the LA Kings but after that is was anyone's guess. Had Edmonton beaten LA but lost in Round 2 the narrative would have been "good steps forward, need to find a way to get to the next level." Instead that team would beat the Flames in the second round in 5 games before being swept by the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals.

Now, winning a round isn't being looked at as good enough, nor a couple rounds. On Twitter today I have seen a number of people posting their Stanley Cup brackets. Many of those brackets, and I am talking about those from out of market have the Edmonton Oilers either winning the Cup, or at least being in the Stanley Cup Finals. Expectations are high. The fanbase knows it, the players know it, the teams going up against the Oilers know it. How this team manages those expectations and translates it into their on ice performance will be the story to watch.

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Here is the likely starting lineup for the Edmonton Oilers:

RNH-McDavid-Hyman
Kane-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Foegele-McLeod-Ryan
Kostin-Bjugstad-Janmark

Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Ceci
Kulak-Desharnais

Skinner

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As of right now we do not know what the LA Kings lineup will be. Both Kevin Fiala and Gabriel Vilardi are still listed as injured but they may be ready to come in for Game 1. Fiala is the Kings best overall point producer and Vilardi is an excellent top six forward as well. Edmonton needs to find ways to take advantage of LA should these players be out of the lineup or in the lineup but not at their best.

The past two games against the Kings have both gone Edmonton's way with the Oilers finding ways to overcome the stifling 1-3-1 system that LA deploys. That will be key to coming out ahead in this series. Edmonton needs to play a patient game and not let the emotion and excitement of playing in front of their home crowd get the better of them early on. That was exactly what happened in Game 1 last season where the Kings won 4-3 in Edmonton's building.

I've seen around this idea that if Edmonton doesn't get powerplays than it will be a tough matchup for them to win. It's true the Oilers powerplay is a deadly force but over the last month and a half of the season, Edmonton has been a dangerous team at 5 on 5.

Edmonton ranked 3rd in the NHL since March 1st with 5 on 5 goals for with 57, while allowing the 9th fewest goals against at 40. The LA Kings ranked 1st in that time, allowing the fewest goals against at 26, but 24th in the NHL in goals for with 42.

The goaltending battle will be an interesting one to follow. Stuart Skinner has been consistent for the Edmonton Oilers all season as a rookie goaltender but was even more impressive down the stretch. He posted a 0.914SV% on the year but has a 0.918SV% since March 1st. Korpisalo meanwhile also has a 0.914SV% on the year but a 0.921 since March 1st.

Head to head? Korpisalo has a career SV% against the Oilers of 0.893%. Stuart Skinner has a career 0.950SV% against the LA Kings. Very different sample sizes with Korpisalo being on the Blue Jackets for much of that but just something else to note.

All season long this team has been led by Connor McDavid, not only on the ice but his off-ice leadership which is really starting to come into his own in. This team understands the weight of the expectations on them. They know they are preparing for a war and I think we will see them ready to give us a show from the moment the puck drops tonight.

Thanks for reading all season everyone and hopefully this is the beginning of a long playoff run for the Edmonton Oilers and a season to remember.

Enjoy the game!

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