Quinton Byfield celebrates with Trevor Moore after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators. (Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/4dd5c9ff-35ea-4cb5-a29d-6de2c8bfb023.webp] Quinton Byfield celebrates with Trevor Moore after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators. (Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images) Very quietly, on Saturday night, the Los Angeles Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] pulled out another impressive win, beating the Nashville Predators 1-0 in overtime for their fifth straight victory. And with the win, the Kings moved ahead of the Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/three-playoff-bound-nhl-teams-trending-downward?backLinkUrl=%2Fnews%2Fauthor%2FAdamProteau%40TheHN&backLinkLabel=Back%20to%20AdamProteau@TheHN] for second place in the Pacific Division – and L.A. is now five standings points behind the first-place Golden Knights, with the Kings holding two games in hand on Vegas. Which NHL playoff teams are in danger? Suddenly, there’s a legitimate chance Los Angeles will be able to avoid another first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/is-the-current-nhl-playoff-format-counterproductive?backLinkUrl=%2Fbbs%2Fnews%2Fsearch%2Fposts%3Fq%3Dkings%26sortBy%3DpublishTime%26range%3DallTime&backLinkLabel=Back%20to%20search%20results]. That would end three straight seasons in which the Kings and Edmonton squared off in Round One – and as we’ll explore below, that would almost certainly be a better road for L.A. in the post-season. If the Kings are able to leapfrog over the Golden Knights and win the Pacfic, they could be looking at a first-round series against the Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild], Calgary Flames [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames], Vancouver Canucks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/] or St. Louis Blues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues]. And any of those teams could be a better opponent for Los Angeles in the opening round. The Kings are 2-0-0 against the Wild this season, with their final regular-season showdown set for Monday. Meanwhile, the Kings are 0-2-0 against the Flames, but both of their losses were close games, and they still have one more game against Calgary in their final game of the season. As far as the Canucks go, L.A. is 1-1-1 against Vancouver this year. And against the Blues, the Kings are 1-1-1. So any of those teams would likely be preferable competition for the Kings. That said, let’s say the Kings stay where they are, and Edmonton remains in third place in the Pacific. Is it reasonable to argue that this year might be the first year Los Angeles is able to send the Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers] home early for the summer? We believe the answer to that question is "yes". For instance, in their first game against Edmonton this season, the Kings beat the Oilers 4-3 in overtime. Then, in their most recent game, L.A. lost to Edmonton by a 1-0 score. But the two teams still have two games left against each other before the playoffs roll around – an April 5th game in Los Angeles, and an April 14th game in Edmonton. Those games could decide who gets home-ice advantage in a Round One series, and that's crucial, as L.A.’s home record is an imposing 23-3-4, while their road mark is a sub-par 13-17-5. But the more convincing argument to be made when it comes to the Kings beating the Oilers this year is to look at the way the Kings have won their games, as they’re one of the NHL’s best defensive machines. Indeed, Los Angeles has the second-best goals-against average in the league, with a stellar 2.55 GAA. The Oilers, on the other hand, are 14th in the league at a 2.91 GAA. And as we all ought to know by now, defense is what wins you games in the post-season. To be sure, the Kings are significantly different than the L.A. teams that have lost to Edmonton in their past three playoff series. For one thing, goaltender Darcy Kuemper has delivered as advertised in his first season as the Kings’ No. 1 netminder, posting a 22-8-7 record, a 2.16 GAA, and a .919 save percentage in 38 appearances. Kuemper’s pedigree as a Cup winner is exactly what this Kings team needs, and so long as he stays healthy, Kuemper holds the edge over Oilers counterpart Stuart Skinner. And while the Kings don’t have an elite talent at forward comparable to Oilers superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, L.A. does have seven forwards in double-digits in goals, and eight players who’ve produced between 30-54 points. On defense, the Kings have at least as good of a group of blueliners as they had last season, with the addition of veteran Joel Edmundson and the development of youngsters Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence. And L.A. would have the best D-man in the series in veteran star Drew Doughty, who has looked terrific since returning from an injury that’s limited him to only 17 games this season. But that prolonged absence may mean Doughty has a lot left in his competitive tank for the rest of the regular season and playoffs. In any case, the Oilers’ defense is their Achilles Heel, and that could well prove to be the difference between the Kings winning the series this time around. Los Angeles is proving time and again they can clamp down on opponents’ offense this season, and if they are able to restrict the Oilers’ superstars, Edmonton’s complementary players may not be able to produce enough goals to put the Oilers over the top. All of this is to say we like the Kings to do great things in this year’s playoffs. Whether they square off against Edmonton or another team, L.A. has the defensive acumen to suffocate their opponent’s offense. And they’ve still got a foundation in Doughty and captain Anze Kopitar who can rely on their Cup-winning experience to lead their teammates to playoff victories. The Kings didn’t make any trade-deadline moves because they didn’t need to in order to win games. L.A.’s current hot streak should put the rest of the league on notice – this Kings team should be one that no other team wants to face in Round One, or any round. 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