EDMONTON, AB- Klim Kostin was made to play in Oil Country on a stage like this.
Equally so, Oil Country was built to embrace a player like him.
"You guys can't imagine how proud I am to be in the team," Kostin said to the crowd at Rogers Place after Wednesday's win during a walk-off interview with Oilers TV's Paige Martin.
"Playing for you guys, it's amazing."
The 23-year-old Russian, playing in his second-career Stanley Cup Playoff game, tossed the body with five hits as an imposing physical presence and scored the biggest goal of his young career as a critical depth contributor, lifting the Oilers into a 3-2 lead with 2:20 gone in the third period in Game 2 of Edmonton's first-round series with Los Angeles.
"He's been a good player through both games -- big, physical and works his butt off on the forecheck and on the track," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. "That goal, you've seen it all year. He has a very good shot and he's not afraid to shoot through people. Tonight he did and found a spot and I think helped their team settle in."
BLOG: Kostin's legend in Oil Country grows
"It's hard to explain. It's really special to play here, to play in front of those guys. The fans are just insane," Kostin said after scoring the Game 2 winner
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