The Edmonton Oilers roll into the playoffs as the NHL’s top team since March 1, having gone 18-2-1 in that span. They ended the regular season with nine straight wins.
However, captain Connor McDavid says that won’t mean much when the puck drops Monday night for game one against the Los Angeles Kings (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 6 p.m., game at 8 p.m.).
“Ultimately the past doesn’t mean anything. We definitely feel good about our game, but I don’t think the past predicts the future,” noted McDavid after Saturday’s practice. “It’s kind of a fresh start for both sides.”
Stuart Skinner is expected to make his first NHL playoff start on Monday. He went 2-1 against the Kings in the regular season including a shutout on March 30.
“I think they have a lot of threats offensively and defensively. A lot of their D are always involved in the rush,” said Skinner. “They’ll be passing to the D, guys will be crashing the net.”
Defenceman Mattias Ekholm has the most post-season experience on the Oilers, having played 75 games with the Nashville Predators from 2015 to 2022.
“There are going to be some games where you feel absolutely terrible, and there are going to be some games where you feel great. You can’t get too high on the wins. You can’t get too low on the losses. That’s the biggest challenge of the playoffs because you are so emotionally invested in every game,” explained Ekholm.
The Oilers eliminated the Kings in seven games in the first round last season.
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