Joe Patarino 
The LA Kings are back at it against the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last season, the two teams played a hard-fought seven-game series that went the way of the Oilers. This season the Kings will be out for revenge.
Hockey Royaly’s Russell Morgan provided a preview and how the Kings can win the series. Here, we’ll look at a handful of players beyond the obvious (LA’s top two centers, top defense pair, and goalies) who will need to be at the top of their game for the Kings to be successful.
Quinton Byfield
This season has been positive for the former second-overall pick, but a first-round series with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers is a whole different animal. Quinton Byfield is going to be tasked with helping his centerman, Anze Kopitar, in limiting two of the most talented players in the NHL in, McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
The good news for the Kings, Byfield has been a good defensive player, especially since being moved from the center position and put on the top line with Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Over the last 25 games, Byfield is third on the LA Kings in xGA/60 minutes (per Natural Stat Trick). The Kings have been a better defensive team with Byfield on the ice versus when he is not.
There’s been plenty of chatter about Byfield’s lack of offensive production – just three goals and 22 points in 53 games. However, in this series against Edmonton, it’s his defensive game that will be put to the test, and also the part of his game that will need to be at its best.
Blake Lizotte & Rasmus Kupari
If Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault will spend most of the time trying to contain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (and company), then it will be up to the bottom six of the lineup to chip in offensively. That puts a lot of pressure on Blake Lizotte and Rasmus Kupari.
Lizotte started the season as the team’s fourth-line center, and due to Byfield’s health and not fully taking hold of the third-line center position, Lizotte was thrust into the role. He put up a career-high 34 points during the 2022-23 regular season and was a noticeable contributor to the offense. He finished second on the team in primary assists per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (per Natural Stat Trick) and was fourth on the team in Shot Assists per-60 at 5-on-5. Lizotte’s offensive play-driving was much more effective when playing alongside a healthy Kevin Fiala or a healthy Gabriel Vilardi. The 5’9″ center will likely spend most of his time against Edmonton’s behemoth of a third-line center, 6-foot-6 Nick Bjugstad. It’s a battle Lizotte, and his line will have to win.
Similarly, Rasmus Kupari is going to play a crucial role. He’s really elevated his game this season to become a surprisingly effective penalty killer for Todd McLellan.
Kupari will likely need to chip in offensively in this series to provide depth scoring. In the regular season, Kupari managed just three goals and 15 points in 66 games.
The question mark for Kupari is who his wingers will be. Carl Grundstrom has settled into the left side, it would seem, but the right wing is still uncertain. For now, we’ll assume Kevin Fiala and Gabriel Vilardi are out for Game 1. That leaves Zack MacEwen, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, and Alex Laferriere as potential options for McLellan. The Kings cannot afford to waste a roster spot on a player who is limited in what he can contribute (MacEwen). I would find it hard to believe McLellan puts Laferriere in this position, as he has yet to play an NHL game. If Fiala and Vilardi are out, Anderson-Dolan would be the logical choice.
We’ll learn more on Monday night, but whoever it is, the bottom six will need to provide offense, and it starts with the centers.
Vladislav Gavrikov
This is a big series for the big Russian for a few reasons. First of which, as everyone talks about the matchup between Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty against Connor McDavid, what isn’t talked about as much is the duo tasked with stopping Leon Draisaitl. That pair is likely Vladislav Gavrikov and Matt Roy.
For Roy, this is much the same. He was in this position last year and has been a staple on the LA Kings’ second pair for years. But for Gavrikov, this is a different beast. Make no mistake; he has been really good since joining the Kings, particularly defensively.
One thing Gavrikov has been able to use to his advantage is his reach. This has helped him make up for any potential skating deficiencies he may have in defending. That length will come in handy against two of the most dangerous passers in the game:
We’ll see who Edmonton prefers to match McDavid against on home ice. My guess would be they will try to get McDavid out against Gavrikov. Things did not go well for Gavrikov in the two games against Edmonton when he was paired with Doughty. When against McDavid, Gavrikov has a 33.3% CF and a 25.1% xGF at 5-on-5. When against Draisaitl, Gavrikov has had a 45.8% CF and 26.8% xGF (stats per Natural Stat Trick).
He will have to perform better than that for LA to succeed, but what’s playing in his favor is he was not paired with Roy, his most frequent partner since joining LA, against Edmonton due to Mikey Anderson’s injury. He’ll be reunited with his trusty partner in this series.
The other note for Gavrikov is that he is a pending UFA in line for a healthy payday since his trade to LA. Nothing would boost the stock more than an impressive performance against the league’s best offensive threats.
Sean Durzi
Not unlike Lizotte and Kupari, the Kings will need to get strong play from the depths of their lineup, and that includes the defense. Sean Durzi has been paired with Sean Walker recently on the third pair, and in over 53 minutes of ice time together this season, the pairing has been good: 61.4% CF and 73.3% xGF at 5-on-5 (per Money Puck).
Durzi is more than capable of providing offense from the blueline as he led all Kings defensemen in goals and primary points at 5-on-5. He also quarterbacks the second power play unit, which has struggled recently.
Where Durzi plays will be a question. Heck, if Durzi plays may even be a question (note: it better not be). Alex Edler was back in a regular jersey at practice over the weekend, and he could slide into the third-pair left defense slot. This could push Durzi to the right (or worse, out of the lineup).
If it were me, I’d start with the pairing of Durzi-Walker. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Edler and Durzi together is it just doesn’t work. That’s been true this season as well. In nearly an hour played together, Edler-Durzi has a 43.6% CF and 40% xGF at 5-on-5 (per Money Puck).
To beat this Oilers team, which is probably the deepest it’s been since McDavid came on the scene, the Kings will need contributions from up and down their lineup, not just their stars.
(Main Photo Credit: Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo)