The NHL's 2021-22 regular season has not ended. But if all of the remaining games were canceled, the current No. 2 vs. No. 3 seed matchup in the Pacific Division would pit the Los Angeles Kings against the Edmonton Oilers. These two clubs are in very different places -- to say nothing of the climate differential between Southern California and Alberta.
L.A.'s remaining core from the Stanley Cup championship teams -- Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Dustin Brown, Jonathan Quick -- has helped bring along the club's promising batch of young players perhaps more quickly than some expected.