The Kings grasped management of an early edging approach as one of the most thrilling set-ups in the already gripping playoff series of the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup unfolds. These teams have been putting forth an intense postseason rivalry for the fourth straight year, and the Kings will want to win a series for the first time since that awful streak began. Winning two on the road would give them a ton of momentum to begin with. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl better come alive before it becomes too late for the Kings to win the series.
A new edge the Kings have brought in this series- they'll try to play balanced. In the past, they were wholly overrun by Edmonton's offensive firepower. This year, however, Los Angeles has struck a more balanced rhythm-strong on defense and capable of scoring. Due to some calm goaltending from Darcy Kuemper behind a solid D-men performance, the Kings have now abated the Oilers' scary offense: something they never managed to do in the previous playoff clashes.
Injuries have played a massive role in swinging this kind of major power. The Oilers have found themselves weakened and hurting and now need to face the onus of rearranging themselves before their home crowd in Edmonton (Games 3 and 4). Although Connor McDavid is starting to show signs of just that dominance again, and Leon Draisaitl will always be a threat, the loss of depth and injuries might cause Coach Kris Knoblauch to start switching his game plan.
For the Kings, their defensive precision is now starting to counterattack the offensive instinct of Edmonton. They have been clinical in their finishing and good about their positioning, key tendencies that have allowed them to hold leads in both games until now. L.A. had its first win on a spectacular 6-5 score, while the second was relatively calmer at 6-2, appearing to allow them to modify their playoff history against the Oilers.
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