If the first two fights between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali are not split, they do not fight again. If one team had won all three, the three NBA Finals meetings between the Lakers and Celtics in the 1980s would not have had quite the same aura.
A great rivalry requires two teams, and thus far, the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings have only been involved in one-way traffic.
Although the current iterations of the Oilers and Kings are Stanley Cup hopefuls attempting to make it to the second round, Ali, Frazier, the Celtics, and the Lakers are all-time greats. Nevertheless, the point remains valid.
What are our thoughts on the Oilers’ 2-0 victory against Los Angeles in their playoff series, which marks their third consecutive encounter this spring?
A bit of an anticlimax, perhaps? Anticipate more of the same in 2022 and 2023?
When it comes to this matchup, there’s an underlying sense of inevitableness—that the Oilers have L.A. figured out and it’s just a matter of time until they prove it again.
That’s easy to say, of course, if you’re not the ones facing a squad whose only goal is to put your hide on their wall.
When the puck drops late Monday night in what will be Oilers player Leon Draisaitl’s 50th career playoff game, he said, “We beat them the last two years but this series is going to write its own story.”
There will undoubtedly be some surprises at specific times, but we are definitely familiar with the team. Both parties are aware of it, too.
How challenging? Is it harder to remove the Kings a third time after doing it twice in a row? The Kings should be just as motivated for this as any other postseason club. Los Angeles is the source of motivation, if motivation counts at all.
Draisaitl, who has 77 points in those 49 games, said, “We know it’s going to be really hard, but we’ve had success against them over the last couple of years.” “We need to make sure our minds and bodies are in the right places. They have a terrific team and a rationale for making the playoffs the last three years. It’s challenging to play against them.
