Playoff Preview: Who Has the Edge in EDM vs. LAK?
The playoffs are almost upon us, and as of today there are two matchups confirmed (with home ice TBD). Edmonton Oilers & Los Angeles Kings should be a good matchup. But who has the edge?
Analytically, this matchup is closer than it may appear. Obviously, Connor McDavid is a massive difference maker, but playoff series seldom get decided by one player. So it is important to understand each team's style & how it matches up against the other's.
These two dumbed-down graphics show each team's rank in key areas. Off rip, Edmonton looks to be the better team. However, if LA is able to muddy up the neutral zone & slow EDM's fast offense the Oilers will have trouble. Also, consider that LA is comfortably in the playoffs with league-worst finishing. Can Edmonton compensate if LA finishes at a higher rate?
The biggest variable for Edmonton is 5v5 production; there is no question they can score on the powerplay, but they need their big guns to dominate all areas of the game, which can prove tricky against a well-structured LA team. The Kings must stay out of the box if they are going to stand a chance.
Ultimately Edmonton gets a slight edge, but this is going to be a good series.
Who do you think will win?
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 28 | 157 ANSWERS Playoff Preview: Who Has the Edge in EDM vs. LAK? Who wins this 7-game series? | ||
| Edmonton, but it's close | 42 | 26.8 % |
| Edmonton, and it's not close | 43 | 27.4 % |
| Los Angeles, but it's close | 43 | 27.4 % |
| Los Angeles, and it's not close | 29 | 18.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brandon Hagel | - | 5 | 5 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Nico Hischier | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Jakob Chychrun | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Will Cuylle | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Lars Eller | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alex Iafallo | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Ivan | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Drake Batherson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Simon Edvinsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Morgan Frost | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mason Marchment | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 21 | 17 | 4 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |
Devils | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 30 | |
Hurricanes | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 29 | |
Golden Knights | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Maple Leafs | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 27 | |
Flames | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 19 | 13 | 6 | - | 26 | |
Rangers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||