Nation Sites
The Nation Network
OilersNation has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA
The Day After 80.0: Kings shut out Oilers in what could be Anže Kopitar’s final game in Los Angeles
Photo credit: © Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images
Six of the eight playoff spots in the Western Conference have now been clinched.
Despite a 1-0 loss to Los Angeles on Saturday, the Oilers secured their place in the playoffs. The “x” next to Edmonton’s name came courtesy of Philadelphia’s win over Winnipeg.
Five teams are now battling for the final two spots. Anaheim sits third in the Pacific Division with 89 points in 79 games, while Los Angeles holds the second wild-card spot with 87 points and three games remaining. Nashville is one point back of the Kings with two games left, while Winnipeg and San Jose remain technically alive at 82 points through 79 games.
Plenty can change over the final days of the regular season, but as things stand, Edmonton would host Anaheim in the first round. The Oilers are still within reach of the Pacific Division title, sitting one point back of Vegas while holding the tiebreaker in regulation wins.
For the Kings, this win over Edmonton carried added significance beyond the standings. It marked Anže Kopitar’s final regular-season home game, and the 1-0 result was a fitting send-off for the two-time Selke Trophy winner.
The focus now shifts to giving Kopitar one more playoff run before his expected retirement at the end of the 2025-26 season. Los Angeles will finish the year on the road with games against Seattle, Vancouver, and Calgary.
With only a handful of games remaining, teams no longer have the luxury of a reset. Back-to-backs, travel, and scoreboard watching all become part of the equation, and managing those factors can be just as important as the play on the ice.
What they said…
Kings captain Anže Kopitar after his final regular-season home game…
“First of all, on behalf of the whole team, the players, the whole organization, thank you for supporting us through the good, the bad, and the ugly. You’ve always been here. Thank you.“Second, we’re going to do our absolute best to come home for a couple more games in the playoffs.“From the bottom of my heart, thank you. This has been my home for 20 years. Thank you to the organization, my teammates, the trainers, and the coaches over the years.”
Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch on his team’s effort in Los Angeles…
“I thought the effort was great. We worked hard and did a lot of good things right, but we made some mistakes. Ingram played really well. I thought we had enough chances to score more than one goal, but their goalie played well and we missed some good opportunities.”
Oilers forward Adam Henrique on the team not being able to score on the Kings…
“We just couldn’t find a way to get one. I thought we pushed hard all game and had a lot of opportunities, but couldn’t get that first one.“It’s about the next game now. We’ll go home, prepare, and try to put these last two in the bank.”
Up next…
The Oilers will return home to play their final two games of the regular season, hosting Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado on Monday and basement-dwelling Vancouver on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Golden Knights will host Winnipeg on Monday and Seattle on Wednesday to close out their schedule, while Anaheim will host Vancouver before heading on the road to face Minnesota and Nashville.
Recent articles from Cam Lewis
Breaking News
- The Day After 80.0: Kings shut out Oilers in what could be Anže Kopitar’s final game in Los Angeles
- Oilers Prospect Update: Tommy Lafrenière and William Nicholl’s CHL careers end as David Lewandowski fights on
- Edmonton Oilers officially clinch berth into 2026 playoffs
- Connor Ingram solid in return, Max Jones the latest injured Oiler, and waiting on Clinchmas
- Oilers can’t punch own ticket to playoffs, lose 1-0 to Kings: Recap, Reaction and Highlights