There really isn’t much doubt about the best series in the playoffs so far. It has been the matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings in almost every way imaginable.
This series had incredible skill on both sides, tenacious effort, and amazing speed. In the end, the Oilers came out on top in six games. The Kings made it close, but they came up just short.
This game six was back-and-forth. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl both came to play which is what Edmonton needs, but a two-goal performance from Klim Kostin helped as well. He has been huge in this series.
When you look at how the rest of the Western Conference is shaping up, the Oilers have a chance here. It will continue with a second-round date against the Vegas Golden Knights. That is a battle of the two best teams in the Pacific Division.
As for the Los Angeles Kings, that is two straight first-round losses to the Oilers. However, they can feel good about where they are with their franchise right now.
The Los Angeles Kings were defeated by the Edmonton Oilers in round one.
They are one of the top teams in the West and are very young. They have older veterans like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, of course, but the organization is loaded with young talent that will keep improving.
Los Angeles will be in the mix for a long time. They just might have a bit more work to do in order to be a legit Stanley Cup threat again. It will be fun to see their young players/prospects continue to grow and what moves they make this summer.
As mentioned before, this series was incredible. Both teams should be proud of how they competed while battling adversity at different times. The Oilers win in six, so we will see them again later this week in Vegas. That will be amazing.
It will be on the big boys of Edmonton to keep this thing going. If they produce, they have a chance to go very far. With three 100-point guys, other great-scoring wingers, and some solid offensive defenseman leading the way, the sky is the limit. It was on display at times in this series.