The Edmonton Oilers lost their recent game in Buffalo by a score of 3-2 last night. The Sabres held on despite a flurry of attacks boosted by the two-headed nightmares of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. For the Los Angeles Kings, it acts as a window of opportunity, with two games in hand to close the 78-75-point gap.

Can they catch the Oilers?

It's entirely possible but recall that the Kings were hard to watch before the Trade Deadline. They posted a 0-3-2 record in their last five games before March 8th. Things were souring in LA to a point where thoughts formulated on whether this was a playoff team or not.

Well, Rob Blake answered at the deadline. They acquired Andrei Kuzmenko from Philadelphia without sacrificing from the roster, and the Kings have posted a 2-0-0 record, beating two high-quality teams on a back-to-back swing. That has alone erased some lingering doubts and put the Kings back in a prime position to make a legitimate race toward gaining a home-ice advantage in late April.

They have yet to see the full fruits of the Kuzmenko deal, but the new alignment from just one player has shifted other players into more viable positions. Alex Turcotte dropped back down to a bottom-six role, and Trevor Lewis has spent time in the press box because of it. Even as a heralded figure in the locker room, the record without Lewis in the lineup is a sterling 10-2-2 this season. With 14 of their final 20 games at home to finish the season, there's a plethora of room here to take advantage of home matchups for a Kings group that looks to be flirting with an extra gear or two post-Trade Deadline.

On the flip side, this will mean that the Oilers will have to slow down somewhat, which is hard to conceive despite being on a four-game road trip that includes a back-to-back in their stop in the Tri-State area. Edmonton also got solid pieces before the deadline, with Jake Walman, Max Jones, and Trent Frederic. While flawed again, this might be the most beatable Oilers team the Kings have faced to date in the McDavid era.

The Oilers will play Vegas in April, along with the playing the Kings twice. Those games could be the make or break for home-ice in a fourth potential first-round meeting between these two clubs.

The Oilers and Kings have faced off in the playoffs for three consecutive years, and with the ire of Kings fans, three seven-game series have amounted to six total wins. Only two of those wins have come at home, with only one in regulation (21-22').

Will home-court advantage matter in this one-sided rivalry?

The Kings have won at home in the season series against the Oilers, and the Oilers have won their game at home. The Kings' win was a 4-3 OTW, and for the Oilers, a 1-0 win off a 4on4 goal with McDavid and Draisaitl doing their thing'. In the Kings' home game, the line of Quinton Byfield cratered the Adam Henrique line. In the game at Rogers Place, the lines of both McDavid and Draisaitl were sawed off but so was effectively the Kings' top nine.

This brings the teams back to two dates in April: the 5th and 14th. The Kings will play at home against the Oilers on the 5th. The Kings will be coming off a quick pit stop in Utah before having a day off before this potential epic clash. The Oilers will be in full swing of a four-game Western road trip, playing game three of four in Los Angeles.

The 14th, however, is a more curious situation. The Kings and Oilers will both play back to backs while playing one another on the 14th. The Kings will play the front half, having Seattle the next day, while the Oilers will play the second half, flying into town after just playing the Jets.

Those are two massive tests in April and two massive opportunities to have something they hadn't had before in the playoffs: home ice.

It's right there for the taking.

Even though there's a plethora of games sandwiched around, it boils down to two days in April to get it done.