Due to the playoff format, the Los Angeles Kings seemingly always find their way to playing the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. The past four seasons, the Kings and Oilers have been some combination of second and third in the Pacific Division, with this past season being the first that the Kings were second and had home ice advantage.
However, this season the Kings came very close to winning the Pacific Division as they tied a franchise record with 105 points. They only finished five points back of the Vegas Golden Knights and were challenging them for that top spot almost all season.