The Los Angeles Kings kick off their Stanley Cup journey on Monday against the Edmonton Oilers.
An all too familiar sight for both teams, there won't be many surprises heading into game one.
There's a lot that goes into winning a playoff series, too much to fit into one piece, but there are a few keys for the Kings to focus on that will lead to success.
Stay Out of the Box:
The Kings penalty kill finished second in the league at 84.58% and they can have some confidence the PK won't be a disaster like it was last series.
However, they can't give Edmonton too many opportunities on the man advantage.
While they don't have the historic power play they boasted last season, Edmonton is still deadly in this area.
In Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard, they have three of the best power-play specialists in the league and you can't give them too many opportunities.
It's good to have an elite penalty kill, but they need to be a "break glass in case of emergency" option for the Kings.
No matter how good your kill is, the best way to shutdown a potent power play is keeping them off the ice.
If the Kings' discipline waivers, they could be in big trouble Monday night.
Start Strong:
The crows in Edmonton is going to be buzzing, and if the Kings let Edmonton take an early lead, that crowd is going to play a factor in the game.
If they can start strong and either match Edmonton's energy or put them on their back foot, it will take the crowd out of the game.
We've also seen the Kings struggle to play from behind in this matchup and can't let Edmonton grab an early lead.
The Kings are also one of the league's best teams when leading, thanks to the 1-3-1.
The Oilers have shown an ability to blow past the 1-3-1, however, the Kings can slow things down more comfortably with a lead.
Play With Intensity:
One of the most inconsistent aspects of this Kings team is their intensity.
We saw them severely lack intensity against the Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Ducks in recent games, something that can't happen in Edmonton.
Jim Hiller was adamant that, once the puck drops for the playoffs, players are able to flip a switch and find that more intense mentality.
Whether that's true or not is up for interpretation, but we'll see if the Kings can actually flip that switch tonight.
Playing with intensity is always important, but in the playoffs it's significantly more important.
This isn't like Game 82 against the Chicago Blackhawks, where you can phone in the effort and beat a inferior team.
If the Kings aren't ready to outwork the Oilers, this will be a quick series.