Mark your calendars: the NHL has officially released the schedule for the first round of the playoffs, and the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings will kick off their matchup Monday night.
It will be an 8:00 pm MST start for Game 1 and Game 2, set for Wednesday, in Los Angeles, before the series shifts back to Edmonton a week from Friday. Puck drop for Game 3 will go at 8:00 p.m. MST, while Game 4, set for Sunday April 27th, will start at 7:30 pm MST.
The Oilers and Kings will be the final teams to meet in the first round of the playoffs, with the only other first round matchup starting on Monday being the Washington Capitals hosting the Montreal Canadiens. It’ll afford both teams some extra time to get healthy.
Edmonton’s well documented infirmary list is long, though all signs are pointing towards the majority of the injured players being ready to go for Game 1. The Kings, meanwhile, have a few injuries of their own, most notable being the one to second-line centre Quinton Byfield, who was shaken up by Darnell Nurse’s cross-check that landed the defenceman a one-game suspension, served Wednesday in Edmonton’s season finale. Los Angeles has remained mum about Byfield’s status.
Defenceman Joel Edmundson is recovering from an upper-body injury that saw him miss the Kings’ most recent game against the Seattle Kraken, but he is expected to be ready for Game 1, according to Kings writer Zach Dooley. Byfield also took to the ice ahead of the Kings’ season finale against the Flames Thursday night.
Another defenceman in Mikey Anderson missed that game against the Kraken and forward Tanner Jeannot has been week-to-week since late March with an upper-body injury.
There’s no denying this season has been a long one for the Oilers, but now they’re at the point they’ve been waiting to get to since last June when they lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Can they get back there?
