3 Keys Kings at Oilers, Game 1 of Western First Round

(3P) Kings at (2P) Oilers
Western Conference First Round, Game 1
10 p.m. ET; ESPN2, CBC, SN, TVAS, BSW

Edmonton Oilers centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and Los Angeles Kings centers Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault will see plenty of each other when the best-of-7 Western Conference First Round begins at Rogers Place on Monday.
McDavid won his fourth NHL scoring title with an NHL career-best 123 points (44 goals, 79 assists) in 80 games this season, and Draisaitl was fourth with 110 points (55 goals, 55 assists) in 80 games. Each centered his own line for the majority of the second half of the season.
Kopitar, who led the Kings with 67 points (19 goals, 48 assists) in 81 games, and Danault, who scored 51 points (27 goals, 24 assists) in 79 games, were less prolific offensively but are well-regarded for their two-way play.
Draisaitl said he and McDavid will be aware of the matchups they'll face in Game 1 and throughout the series but doesn't want it to become a distraction.
"You focus on the guys you match up against, of course, but I don't think you want to overdo it either," he said Monday. "You want to stick to what you're good at, whatever Connor and I are good at."
Danault said the Kings are well aware of how explosive McDavid and Draisaitl can be and that defending them effectively often involves some sacrifice in terms of offensive chances.
"When McDavid is on the ice, or Draisaitl, we've got to shut them down as a unit," Danault said. "Obviously you don't want to change your game too much. There is a little sacrifice [offensively], that's for sure. You've got to be more smart, more alert. I'm not the only one. Everybody's got to be a little sharper on the ice when [McDavid] is there, which is normal."
It's the eighth playoff series between the teams but the first since the best-of-7 Smythe Division Semifinals in 1992, which the Oilers won in six games. Edmonton has won five of the previous seven series.
The Oilers went 3-1-0 against the Kings this season; the Kings were 1-2-1.
Teams that win Game 1 are 499-228 (68.8 percent) winning a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, including 6-2 in the first round last season.
Here are 3 keys for Game 1:

1. Mike Smith vs. Jonathan Quick

Oilers goalie Mike Smith, 40, and Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, 36, go head-to-head for the first time since Smith and the Phoenix Coyotes played Quick and the Kings in the 2012 Western Conference Final. The Kings won that series in five games and went on to win the Stanley Cup. Quick also helped the Kings win the Cup in 2014.
"[Quick] has had an unbelievable career and I have a lot of respect for what he has done," Smith said. "There is a fire burning that I haven't got what he's got yet [a Stanley Cup championship], so that's something that drives me to get better every day and to keep grinding and hopefully this year will be the year."
Quick is expected to start his 86th straight playoff game, the longest active streak among NHL goalies. He's 46-39 with a 2.23 GAA, .922 save percentage and nine shutouts in 85 postseason games. He was 23-13-9 with a 2.59 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and two shutouts in 46 games this season.
Smith won his final nine regular-season starts and went 16-9-2 with a 2.81 GAA, .915 save percentage and two shutouts in 28 games this season. In 29 playoff games he is 11-17 with a 2.34 GAA, .931 save percentage and four shutouts.

2. Oilers power play vs. Kings penalty kill

The Oilers had the third-best power play in the NHL this season at 26.0 percent, behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (27.3 percent) and St. Louis Blues (27.0 percent).
Neutralizing it will be a challenge for the Kings penalty killing, which was 22nd at 76.7 percent. Los Angeles' top penalty killers, including defenseman Matt Roy, who led the Kings with an average of 2:04 of shorthanded ice time per game, and Kopitar (1:42) and Danault (1:42), will need their anticipation skills at their best to keep the Oilers from dominating the special-teams battle.

3. Availability of Darnell Nurse, Viktor Arvidsson

Darnell Nurse, the Oilers' No. 1 defenseman, missed the final four games of the regular season because of a lower-body injury sustained against the Colorado Avalanche on April 22. Nurse practiced Sunday and Monday and coach Jay Woodcroft said he would be a game-time decision.
Nurse led the Oilers during the regular season with an average ice time of 25:03 per game and touches all areas of their game. He was one of three NHL defensemen this season to average at least 20:00 per game at even strength (21:08), 1:00 per game on the power play (1:09) and 2:30 per game shorthanded (2:45); Devon Toews of the Avalanche and Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks were the others.
"You don't want to put your team in a position where you're not going out there close to 100 [percent]," Nurse said Monday. "So those factors all go into it, so we'll see."
Viktor Arvidsson, who was fourth on the Kings with 49 points (20 goals, 29 assists) in 66 games, left practice early Saturday for personal reasons and didn't skate Sunday or Monday. His absence could leave a hole in Los Angeles' top-six forward group.
"Arvidsson's on the trip, yeah," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "Good chance [he'll play]."

Kings projected lineup

Andreas Athanasiou -- Anze Kopitar -- Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore -- Phillip Danault -- Viktor Arvidsson
Alex Iafallo -- Blake Lizotte -- Dustin Brown
Carl Grundstrom -- Quinton Byfield -- Arthur Kaliyev
Alexander Edler -- Matt Roy
Mikey Anderson -- Sean Durzi
Olli Maatta -- Jordan Spence
Jonathan Quick
Cal Petersen
Scratched:Brendan Lemieux,Tobias Bjornfot, Gabriel Vilardi, Lias Andersson, Troy Stecher, Jacob Moverare, Austin Strand, Rasmus Kupari
Injured:Drew Doughty (wrist), Sean Walker (knee)

Oilers projected lineup

Evander Kane -- Connor McDavid -- Jesse Puljujarvi
Zach Hyman -- Leon Draisaitl -- Kailer Yamamoto
Warren Foegele -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins -- Derek Ryan
Ryan McLeod -- Zack Kassian
Darnell Nurse -- Cody Ceci
Duncan Keith -- Evan Bouchard
Kris Russell -- Tyson Barrie
Brett Kulak
Mike Smith
Mikko Koskinen
Scratched:Philip Broberg, Josh Archibald, Devin Shore, Derick Brassard, Olivier Rodrigue
Injured:None

Status report

Doughty, a defenseman who had wrist surgery April 11, is not expected to play again until next season. ... If Nurse plays, the Oilers are expected to use seven defensemen and 11 forwards. … Rodrigue, a goalie, was recalled from Wichita of the ECHL.