We’re just days away from round four of the playoff rivalry between the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings.
For the Oilers, it’s a chance to once again eliminate their Pacific Division rivals. For the Kings, it’s about redemption.
Earlier this week, we compared the goal-scoring ability of the two teams. The Oilers clearly hold the advantage. Their forwards are deeper, led by two superstars who can dominate at any moment.
But defence and goaltending tell another story. Without Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton’s blueline faces challenges. Meanwhile, the Kings also have the strongest goaltending the Oilers have seen in any of the past four playoff meetings between the two teams.
These two teams had vastly different results from their goalies this season. Darcy Kuemper returned to the Kings this summer after a tough stint in his first season with Washington. He quickly rediscovered his form and boosted his save percentage from .890 to .922, his best number in four years. He was a true workhorse, starting 50 games and finishing 19 of them with a .950 save percentage or better. Not once was he pulled, and he earned five shutouts. Impressive numbers all around.
On the other side, the Oilers struggled for consistency. Neither Stuart Skinner nor Calvin Pickard provided stable results until late in the regular season, when Pickard finally stepped up with Skinner on the shelf. Of course, this is the same duo that carried Edmonton to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year. And when Skinner returned recently from a concussion against Winnipeg, he looked strong.
It’s difficult to argue the Oilers are in better shape in terms and goaltending than the Kings, but Los Angeles also seemed better than Edmonton in that department in previous years as well.
Last year, Cam Talbot was outstanding for the Kings in the regular season (.913 save percentage, 52 starts). But the Oilers quickly chased him from the net, forcing the Kings to rely on David Rittich. Meanwhile, Skinner was superb in Los Angeles, stopping 60 of 61 shots in Games 3 and 4. He was a key reason Edmonton advanced.
In 2022-23, the Kings acquired Joonas Korpisalo at the deadline. He was fantastic in the regular season (7-3-1, .921 save percentage). But after a strong start in the playoffs, he faltered, finishing with a disappointing .892 save percentage as the Oilers eliminated the Kings in six games.
Rewind further to 2021-22, Jonathan Quick had a solid regular season (.910) and decent playoff series, but it still wasn’t enough.
Here’s the takeaway: The Kings have consistently held the edge in goaltending on paper, but that edge hasn’t translated into wins against the Oilers. Edmonton’s offensive talent is simply too explosive. Given enough opportunities, they’ll find ways to beat almost any goalie.
To win this series, the Oilers don’t have to rely on elite goaltending, but they do need solid, timely saves from Skinner, just as they got in past playoffs. Kuemper might be the Kings’ strongest goalie yet, but even he isn’t unbeatable.
Remember, the Oilers found ways to score against Sergei Bobrovsky in last year’s Stanley Cup Final, despite his incredible start to the series. Kuemper has a championship pedigree, but so did Quick in 2021-22.
Bottom line: The Oilers can solve Kuemper. They just need their goalies to hold steady and give them a chance, just as they’ve done before.
