The Los Angeles Kings, who shut out the Edmonton Oiler 5-0 last Monday night in Edmonton, have secured home-ice advantage and will open the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, April 2, at 7 p.m. Game 2 of the first round is Wednesday, April 23, at home at 7 p.m.
This will be the fourth season in a row that the Kings have faced the Oilers in the first round, but the first time the Kings will play Game 1 on home ice. It became official when the Kings defeated the Aves last Saturday and the Oilers last Monday. The Kings haven’t had home ice advantage in the first round since 2016.
How successful have the Kings been at home this season? The Kings are the NHL’s best team on their home ice during the regular season with a record of 31-5-4, which establishes a new team record for the most home victories in a single season.
Since Jim Hiller took over the head coaching on February 2, 2024, the Kings have assembled a 45-8-5 home record.
The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs mark the team’s fourth consecutive trek to the postseason and 34th qualification in team history. And it’s the fourth time they have reached the playoffs in four consecutive seasons, and the first since qualifying five years in a row from 2010-14.
Hiller and the players know how important it is to play in front of their fans at home. It’s like having a sixth man on the ice with the positive energy that the fans create and that gives the team extra motivation.
“We know it’s not as much fun to have to start on the road, it’s nice to be able to stay here,” said defensemen Mikey Anderson. “We’ve had success at home, we like playing here, it helps having our fans to start Games 1 and 2, and we’re ready to go.”
“You want to have home advantage in the playoffs, playing in front of your fans. That’s a huge advantage,” said forward Warren Foegele. “Even though we’re locked into a playoff spot, we still need to bring that momentum to finish the year right and bring that momentum into the playoffs.”
One concern is the upper-body injury to Kings rising star Quinton Byfield, who is having a break-out season. He left the game last Monday night versus the Oilers after a dirty cross check to the back of his head from Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. Subsequently, Nurse was suspended one game for this illegal cross check and was required to have a Player Safety hearing for his actions.
Mattias Ekholm, arguably the Oilers best defenseman, is not expected to be available for the Round 1 series due to an undisclosed injury. Ekholm’s absence is a significant blow to the defending Western Conference champions’ blue line in their attempt to make another long playoff run.
With the teams now locked into place for the first round of the playoffs The Kings are hoping that they can stay focused and make a deep run into the playoffs.