For the fourth consecutive year, the Edmonton Oilers will face the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This year is likely the most impressive Kings squad the Oilers have faced, and it’s unlikely for this series to end as easily as the five-game cakewalk last season.

As we talked about yesterday, the Kings boast impressive depth and have home ice advantage. This will be a grind, even with the Oilers sending the two best players in the world over the boards every other shift.

Here are three Kings players to watch out for this series, and who could be x-factors for the Kings as they try to slay the oil-covered dragon in their fourth attempt.

1. Quinton Byfield

The emergence of Quinton Byfield as a legit top-six NHL centre has been massive for the Kings. This is a fundamental change from last year when Byfield was primarily a winger, and definitely not as impactful as he has been this year.

The Oilers’ big boys will have their hands full with Phillip Danault and Anze Kopitar likely utilized in shutdown roles, which ideally frees up Byfield to run roughshod over the Oilers’ third line centred by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The battle between Nuge and Byfield will be a very important one for both teams in this series, and whoever wins that matchup could end up deciding the series altogether.

The Byfield line has been incredible for the Kings this season. Byfield himself scored a career-high 23 goals, but his wingers Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere combined for 54 goals as well. They absolutely own the ice when they’re together too. At 5v5, they outscored their opponents by a whopping 20–6 margin this season.

The Nuge line is currently projected to have Kasperi Kapanen and Jeff Skinner on the flanks, which isn’t a line we’ve seen much of this season. Hopefully they can gel well right off the bat and match up well against the Byfield line.

What did The Oil Rig team have to say about the first-round matchup against the Kings? Did our rivals at The Win Column have anything nice to say about Edmonton or are they still bitter from being eliminated? Check out the latest episode of our Battle of Alberta podcast, Fuel and Fire, here!

2. Mikey Anderson

Mikey Anderson is just one of four incredibly sound defensive defencemen the Kings’ have on their elite blueline. Anderson has turned into one of the best shutdown defenders in the league, among the top defencemen in a bunch of key defensive categories.

When looking at the rate of the highest quality chances against for all defencemen with at least 1000 5v5 TOI this season, three Kings defenders rank in the top-24 in the NHL. That share grows to three out of 18 when only considering playoff teams. According to HockeyViz, one of the most respected public analytic models, the Kings’ top-four defencemen are some of the most defensively sound players in the entire league. Anderson leads the charge.

Not only will the Oilers’ top guns have to contend with a solid defensive centre lineup, they’ll also meet a top-four defence group that can shut things down. Breaking through these lines will be a major key for the Oilers. If they can’t get to Anderson, Vladislav Gavrikov, Drew Doughty, and Jordan Spence, they’re in trouble.

3. Darcy Kuemper

Last but definitely not least, the Kings are backstopped by a brand new goaltender in Darcy Kuemper. This is a serious upgrade from the Cam Talbot/David Rittich tandem from last year, and Kuemper is coming off one of the best seasons of his career.

StatisticWinsGAASV%GSAxQSRaw Value312.020.92222.1934League Rank62356

Kuemper is legit. He’s been a phenomenal goalie all year long and with how good the Kings defence is, he doesn’t have to be sensational every night. All Kuemper has to do is be a solid last line of defence because the Kings don’t let a lot of quality opportunities get to him in the first place.

The Oilers need to generate a lot of quality chances and make Kuemper work for each save. Traffic in front of the net will be a major key, and the even then, Kuemper could be the difference in this series.

A tough matchup

The Oilers will face a tough challenge this season. The Kings are not to be taken lightly, and the Oilers will need to gameplan against these three players if they’re going to win for a fourth year in a row.

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