Edmonton Oilers first-round playoff matchup practically set
The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs is less than a month away, and it looks like the Edmonton Oilers first-round matchup is more-or-less set in stone.
Edmonton currently sits in third place in the Pacific Division behind the Vegas Golden Knights and LA Kings. It seems unlikely that the Oilers will be able to catch Vegas for the division crown, and the closest team chasing them is the Vancouver Canucks, who are trailing by eight points.
This means that Edmonton will most likely finish either third or second in the division, setting up yet another date with the Kings in the first round, which would be the fourth-straight year of that matchup.
NHL.com
If you’re an Oilers fan, facing LA in the opening round doesn’t sound all that bad. After all, Edmonton has found a way to eliminate the Kings in the last three seasons, and it appears to have gotten easier each time. In 2022, it took the Oilers seven games to eliminate LA; in 2023, it took six games; then, just last year, the Oilers bounced the Kings in five games.
If that pattern holds, the Oilers would go for a series sweep this season. However, there is a bit of a wrinkle with this year’s edition of the series. While Edmonton has had home-ice advantage in the last three years, the Kings are currently in line to switch up the script.
As it stands, both teams are locked in a tight battle for second place in the Pacific Division. LA holds a slight two-point lead over the Oilers for this spot. It could come down to the results of the two games between these two teams left on the regular-season schedule.
Edmonton currently holds an edge in the season-series with LA, having shut them out 1-0 earlier this year and narrowly losing 4-3 in OT back in December.