The Kings and Oilers are set to meet in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, and already tensions are beginning to boil over.
Los Angeles’ veteran defenseman Drew Doughty made clear on Monday that he’s not forgotten what went down during the Kings’ most recent matchup against Edmonton, during which Oilers superstar Connor McDavid was penalized for boarding Mikey Anderson.
Ahead of Game 1 of their playoff showdown, Doughty made clear that McDavid could be in for a long and physical series.
“If we get a chance to smack [McDavid], we’re gonna try to do that,” said Doughty, via Sportsnet.
Drew Doughty hasn’t forgotten about what happened last time these two teams met in Edmonton 😳 pic.twitter.com/ekWKX6ep0I
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 17, 2023
During the Kings-Oilers clash on April 4, McDavid could be seen laying a big hit onto Anderson up against the boards, which left Los Angeles’s defenseman on the ice in pain. He was issued a two-minute penalty for boarding, but the true consequences of his actions from that game may bear fruit during this opening-round series.
It wasn’t the first time the Kings and McDavid got into it, either.
Earlier in the season, LA’s Alexander Edler leveled the Hart Trophy favorite with a massive open-ice hit, after which Doughty could be seen talking smack to the Oilers’ star. McDavid mentioned Doughty’s antics in his post-game comments, saying the defenseman “likes to talk a lot.”
This will be the second consecutive season hockey fans are treated to a clash between Los Angeles and Edmonton, and there’s seemingly plenty of bad blood surrounding the rivalry before the puck even drops in Game 1.
