Edmonton Oilers Become First Canadian Team to Advance in 2024 NHL Playoffs

The Edmonton Oilers dispatched the Los Angeles Kings in five games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

For the third straight year, the Edmonton Oilers have eliminated the Los Angeles Kings from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It only took five games this year to beat the Kings, compared to six games last year and seven games in 2022. And with Wednesday's 4-3 victory, the Oilers are the first Canadian team this year to win a playoff round.

The other three Canadian teams in this year's playoffs have had varying success so far.

The Winnipeg Jets, which ranked fourth overall in the regular season, are done after losing to the Colorado Avalanche in five games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were a goal away from being eliminated by the Boston Bruins in Game 5, but Matthew Knies scored in overtime to force Game 6 in a 3-2 series lead for the B's.

And the Vancouver Canucks had a chance to be Canada's first team in Round 2 this season but narrowly lost in Game 5 to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. They have another chance on Friday to end the series and set up a second-round battle with the Oilers.

Oilers winger Evander Kane opened the scoring, but the Kings scored two straight goals to lead 2-1 early in the second period.

Leon Draisaitl then took action, scoring twice. His first goal was about as close as it could get because Kings goalie David Rittich looked to have made one of the saves of the year. He reached back to make a desperation glove grab on Draisaitl's one-timer, but upon video review, the NHL situation room determined the puck completely crossed the goal line.

Zach Hyman extended Edmonton's lead to 4-2, and they held on to that score for most of the third period. Adrian Kempe cut the Kings' deficit to one late in the third period with their net empty, but they couldn't capitalize again to tie the game.

An online survey in early April conducted by the Angus Reid Institute found that 64 percent of respondents said they'll cheer for any Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup this season, even if their favorite team is eliminated. That's up from 57 percent in 2016.

And out of 1,138 respondents who identified as hockey fans, 22 percent said they preferred Edmonton to win the Cup this season out of the four Canadian squads, compared to 13 percent for Winnipeg, 23 percent for Vancouver and 42 percent for Toronto. But when asked which Canadian team respondents thought would break Canada's 31-year Cup drought, 20 percent of those who pay attention to the NHL think the Oilers will be that squad, ranking them second behind the Maple Leafs (21 percent). 

With Edmonton getting the first round of the way, they now await either Vancouver or Nashville in Round 2 in their pursuit to win the Cup – and end Canada's drought.

Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here.