Edmonton Oilers vs. LA Kings 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Series Recap (Round One)

The Round One rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and LA Kings came to an end after the Oilers won the series 4-2 in six games. After beating the Kings for the fourth time in a row, the Oilers are scheduled to face the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The series started out with a strong start for the Kings as they won the opener with a 6-5 win on April 21, 2025 which was followed up by a 6-2 victory in Game 2 of the series. The Kings lost the lead and their momentum in the series after the Oilers persevered and took control over the remainder of the series. The Oilers’ momentum started with an impressive 7-4 win in Game 3 which was followed up by a series tying 4-3 overtime win in Game 4. After a 3-1 win in Game 5, the Oilers found themselves within one win to advance onto the next round in the playoffs. After a back and forth Game 6, the Oilers were able to seal the deal with a 6-4 win on May 1, 2025. 

The Oilers’ points and assists leader was #97 C. Connor McDavid who ended the first round with 11 points (2G, 9A). #2 Evan Bouchard led the Oilers with the most goals scored during the first round (4G). In regards to goaltending, #74 Stuart Skinner initially was the Oilers’ starter and had a record of 0-2-0, a 6.11 GAA, and 0.810 SV% after Game 1 and Game 2 of the series. #30 Calvin Pickard took over in net for the remainder of the series and ended the first round with a 4-0-0 record, a 2.93 GAA, and a 0.893 SV%. 

The Kings’ points and goals leader was #9 Adrian Kempe who ended round one with 10 points (4G, 6A). #11 C. Anze Kopitar led the Kings with the most assists recorded as he assisted 7 goals during the playoffs. In regards to goaltending, the Kings relied heavily on #35 Darcy Kuemper who ended the series with a 2-4-0 record, a 3.74 GAA, and a 0.889 SV%.  

In regards to stats, the Oilers found more success in their overall performance during this series as they outscored (27G vs. 24G), outshot (202 shots vs. 187 shots), and had a higher average power play success rate (44% vs. 39%) compared to the Kings in the six games that they played against one another. The Kings did find more success with their average faceoff win percentage (54.53% vs. 45.52%), however, their overall play was not enough to keep up with the Oilers. 

Although the Kings did start the series with momentum, the Oilers were able to find a way to shut it down and take the crown. 

Come back to read about the Edmonton Oilers vs. Vegas Golden Knights Second Round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs!