The Los Angeles Kings have clinched a playoff spot, but they still have a lot to play for in the final week of the season. There are three most likely outcomes for who they would play in Round 1: the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks. Out of those three, who is the best option, and who is the worst?
Edmonton Oilers
With the Kings sitting in third place in the Pacific Division, they are currently slated to match up against the Oilers. They lie one point ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights, so they control their fate with both teams having equal remaining games left. The Kings play the Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, and Chicago Blackhawks to finish the season, so they have three very winnable games to go.
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This is the most probable but also not ideal outcome for the Kings. They are 1-2-1 against the Oilers this season and have been outscored 11-9. Their most recent matchup was on March 28 where the Oilers won 4-1, with the final goal being an empty netter. However, the Kings played well and lost because of Stuart Skinner making 31 saves on 32 shots. Also, the Kings had 3.6 expected goals to Edmonton’s 2.75, according to Moneypuck.
Connor McDavid took control, contributing to Edmonton’s first three goals. He dominated at both ends of the ice, showcasing his speed that Los Angeles was unable to keep up with. The rest of the game was controlled by the Kings, finding many high-danger looks from around the ice. Taking this matchup to a seven-game series would be a lot closer than fans may believe, especially with Cam Talbot’s recent stretch of high-level play.
Dallas Stars
The worst matchup for the Kings would be finishing as the second team in the wild card, almost certainly matching up against the Stars. This season, the Kings have suffered three losses to Dallas, scoring just one goal each while giving up 13 goals in the three games.
The Stars are stacked top to bottom, with an elite offensive core of Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene and elite talents roaming the middle and bottom six such as Wyatt Johnston, Mason Marchment, Logan Stankoven, and Jamie Benn. To face off with that offensive core that also has a defense consisting of Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Esa Lindell, and Chris Tanev will be terrifying for any team, especially considering starting goaltender Jake Oettinger has struggled this season and still has the team as the top seed in the Western Conference. It is never over until it is over, but the Kings must do whatever they can to avoid this matchup.
Vancouver Canucks
The best matchup for the Kings is without a doubt the Canucks. They are 3-0-1 against Vancouver this season, outscoring them 15-8. Their most recent matchup was a 6-3 win for the Kings but was much closer than the score looked, with Talbot stopping 39 of 42 in a thriller. The Canucks had 3.36 expected goals, and dominated the front of the net, with all three goals coming from in or next to the crease. Luckily, the defense was stellar besides those few mistakes, providing confidence in this potential matchup.
The two teams matching up could happen in two ways. The first is for the Canucks to fall from the first seed to the second, and for the Kings to maintain their position as the third seed within the division. With the Kings’ easier schedule to finish the season and the current two-seed Oilers and Winnipeg Jets, this is not far out of the question. The other possible matchup would be the Canucks maintaining the one seed, and the Kings falling to the wild card, but as the first seed. This is not as likely, but if the current first seed in the wild card race, Nashville Predators, struggle to finish the season and the Golden Knights can jump the Kings in the standings, it is also possible.
Of course, there are a lot of moving parts, so nobody knows what will happen. However, Kings fans should be scoreboard-watching during this final week, as their season will rely on a handful of other key games for their potential playoff matchups. With the team playing some of its best hockey all season as of late, a deep playoff run is likely.