GAME RECAP: Oilers 2, Kings 0 (Game 7)

EDMONTON, AB - Get louder, Edmonton. There's more playoff hockey to be played.
The Oilers gutted out a 2-0 Game 7 victory in front of a raucous Rogers Place crowd, completing the series comeback and eliminating the Kings from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Edmonton played what may have been their most complete game of the playoffs, barraging the Kings goal with 41 shots while holding Los Angeles to only 29 of their own. Goals by Cody Ceci and Connor McDavid were the difference in a game where Mike Smith continued his stellar post-season play with a shutout
Despite a dominant middle of the game, the Kings pressed hard with their playoff lives in the balance, outshooting Edmonton 11-7 in the final frame. But a complete team defensive effort from Edmonton stymied Los Angeles at every opportunity.
The Oilers finished the series scoring 27 goals in the seven games en route to their first second-round playoff berth since 2016-17.

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FIRST BLOOD

With the ice firmly tilted in the Oilers favour in the second period, it only seemed a matter of time before they would break the deadlock. It would ultimately be Cody Ceci who sent Rogers Place into a frenzy.
After a couple of opportunities around the Kings goal, McDavid would finally collect the puck behind the net and dish a soft backhand to Ceci. The Oilers defenceman took his time and picked his spot, ripping the wrister high over Quick to break the ice.
The goal was Ceci's first of the post-season, and only his second goal in 43 NHL Playoff games.
The energy provided by the 122 decibel Rogers Place crowd propelled the buzzing Blue & Orange to a dominant second period, outshooting Los Angeles 24-11 in the frame.

PLAY OF THE GAME

With less than four minutes remaining, the captain delivered.
Yamamoto fed McDavid in on the partial breakaway, but the Kings defenseman was able to interfere enough to thwart the initial attempt. Connor would not be denied, looping around the net and firing his fourth goal of the playoffs into the top of the net on the backhand.
A voracious celebration was greeted by "M-V-P" chants at the following puck drop. The goal was McDavid's second point of the night and 14th of the series, clinching the first-round victory.
Head Coach Jay Woodcroft leaned on the Oilers captain throughout the game, playing him a game-high 27:23, the most of any contest in the series. McDavid's two-point night gave the captain the playoff scoring lead, surpassing Florida's Carter Verhaeghe who has six goals and six assists in the post-season.

SAVE OF THE GAME

The best stop of the game wasn't made by either of the two goaltenders.
With the Oilers pressing hard midway into the second period, Zach Hyman was able to peel off a Kings defender, spin, and fire a puck in front of Quick. Evander Kane jammed the puck on net, which snuck through Quick and trickled towards the goal line. Before the puck could cross the line, Andreas Athanasiou pulled it out of danger and tucked it under Quick robbing Kane of his eighth goal of the playoffs.
Quick turned aside 39 of 41 shots, but was aided by a fair bit of puck luck on the night as several shots squeezed through the Kings goaltender but bled wide of the net.

SHUTOUT SMITTY

When the Oilers needed him most, Mike Smith came up big. The Oilers goaltender turned aside all 29 Kings shots directed his way on the night for his second shutout of the series and the sixth of his career.
Much had been made about the Oilers goaltender's Game 1 mistake, but the veteran shook it off and delivered big for the Blue & Orange throughout the series. The 40-year-old finished the first round with an impressive .946 save percentage, propelling the Oilers to a series victory.

QUIET START

Despite a roaring Rogers Place, the Oilers defence was able to hold the Kings to a quiet first period. Los Angeles was only able to muster eight shots in the opening frame, a vast departure from the typical puck flinging starts they had become accustomed to in the series. In the six games prior to Saturday, the Kings averaged over 16 shots per game in the first period, eclipsing the 20-shot mark in Game 4.
Where the Oilers were able to bring the noise was in the physical game - with several thundering bodychecks setting the tone in the opening period. In the game's first 30-seconds, Connor McDavid demonstrated what type of period it was going to be, running over Kings defenceman Sean Durzi much to the delight of the Rogers Place faithful.
The Oilers usual suspects also showed their willingness to throw their weight around, with Josh Archibald and Zack Kassian levelling Troy Stecher and Carl Grundstrom respectively. The trio of McDavid, Archibald, and Kassian accounted for half of the Oilers 16 hits in the period.

WHO'S NEXT?

With the Kings behind them, the Oilers will have to wait until Sunday night to find out who they will face in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Oilers could host a Game 1 at Rogers Place if the Dallas Stars are able to upset the Calgary Flames in Game 7 of their series. If not, Game 1 will start down the QE-II at what would be the first post-season Battle of Alberta since 1991. In that series, the Oilers erased a 3-0 Calgary lead in Game 7, courtesy of an Esa Tikkanen hat trick to advance to the Smythe Division finals.
The Oilers also have some playoff history with the Texas team. The Oilers defeated the Stars in seven games in the 1997 Western Conference Quarter-finals, with Todd Marchant streaking down the right side and scoring the famous overtime winner.

PARTING WORDS

McDavid on where the win ranks in his career and what it says of the Oilers:
"It's definitely up there. But that being said, it's just one round. There's a long way to go here. We're happy to move on to the second round, but that's all we did. We survived another day."
McDavid on the relief of his sensational third-period insurance goal:
"I thought we had a lot of chances to make it 2-0. Even late in the second and early in the third, you don't like missing those chances. They were kind of hanging around, so it feels good to be able to go up two. It's a bigger cushion.
McDavid on the parts involved to make Game 7's complete effort happen:
"It feels good. It feels good to do it in that fashion. There's always a lot of talk about the defensive side or the game. For our group to step up in a big moment and play like that in a 2-0 win with Smitty playing great and getting contributions from everyone, it feels good.
Ceci on his game-winning goal in the second period:
"It was definitely a big one. I was happy to see it go in and have the building go crazy like that. It's a pretty good adrenaline rush. It's one I'll remember for a while."
"Just getting a lot of opportunities lately playing with these guys. I find myself getting more chances and more opportunities to chip in offensively. I don't know, I'm just trying to play with as much confidence as I can and help out as much as I can. We're trying to go on a run here."

Ceci on the madness inside Rogers Place and the feeling of it being at ice level:
"It's pretty awesome. You can hear them now [outside the Hall of Fame Room]. They were hanging around while we were warming up. Upstairs, I could see them across the street lining up to just go crazy and support us with everything they have. It makes a huge difference in us coming second place and getting this game at home. It was big for us. They made a difference for sure.
Ceci on the Oilers two defensive performances in Games 6 and 7:
"I think it had a lot to do with work and dedication to what we've been doing down the stretch. Just trying to stay up on them as much as possible, hard track, getting them to turn it over and spending as little time in our zone. I thought we really bought in the last couple of games, played desperately, and showed we can be a tough team to beat.
McDavid on not giving up many quality chances and knowing they weren't going to break:
"It's just using lessons from previous mistakes. We've made those mistakes in the past and we didn't shoot ourselves in the foot tonight, which is obviously a positive."
Ceci on having sympathy for the Kings having to go against McDavid:
"Yeah, definitely. He's a world-class player and we have to see him in practice all the time. He has another level in games, and especially in this series, so there's definitely some sympathy there. I'm just happy he's on our team."
"I think it's just his will to win. He's put in a lot of time into this organization and has worked really hard to be the best in the world. You definitely saw his will to win in this series and it was fun to be a part of."
Smith on the coming back from down 3-2 to win at home:
"It's an experience, right? It's an experience you can gain confidence from. Being down and never panicking, going to LA and playing a solid hockey game to get it back to home ice into Game 7 and playing our best game of the series in the biggest moment. You can't help but gain confidence from that. Getting through the first round has been a crook for a while, so I think it's a big boost for the group."

Smith on the performance of Connor and Leon over the last two games:
"Our best players have been our best players this series. If you want to win, if you want to get through one of the hardest rounds to get through, your best players have to be at the top of their game or better. Both guys were horses for us and leaders, everyone else followed and did their jobs. It's not all on Connor and Leon, but they sure did a heck of a job to get us pushed in the right direction. Tremendous effort by both guys to do that. When the game was on the line, those guys were there playing their best hockey."
Draisaitl on getting over the first-round hump:
"You got to win the first round to advance, that's where it starts. Sixteen teams are really good teams, so its tough to get past that first round. You saw it in our series, LA is a really good team, but we stuck with it, grinded, and eventually ended up being successful. That first series is a tough one, every series obviously is, but getting over that hump feels good right now. We plan on continuing to play for a while."
Draisaitl on the Oilers captain:
"He's the best player in the world. I think he showed that in the last two games. It's not skill, there's lots of skill obviously with him, but it's the will. You can see it in his eyes. You can feel it in every shift he's out there. He's determined and there's just no way that he or us were going to be denied. He led the way, he was amazing. Great job by him."
Smith on a sense of relief in Rogers Place after getting through the first round:
"Unbelievable to be honest. I don't think I've ever heard a building so loud and crazy my whole career. I've been to the playoffs in my career a couple of times and in some loud buildings, but that was incredible to be a part of. The last couple of years with no fans, it sucked, to be honest. Never mind not getting through, playing with no one in the building was disappointing. To win a Game 7 at home in front of your home fans that gave us a boost right from the drop of the puck was an incredible feeling and one you'll grasp on to and take us into the second round with the same momentum."
Smith on playing in his first Game 7:
"I wasn't really approaching it like a Game 7. I knew it was a big game, but I just wanted to be calm for our group. It was pretty calm with the way we played. We played our best game in the most important game of the series. It was easy to get caught up in the emotions of the game with how loud the rink was, but we used that energy in a good way tonight and really a determined effort by our group that we weren't going to be held with not winning that hockey game. To play in a gem 7 at home and to win, is a moment I'll remember for a long time. This group of guys has been a special group all season long, but there's a lot of work left to do. We want to enjoy it and prepare ourselves for a big series in the second round."

Coach Woodcroft on the series and the LA Kings:
"I just wanted to congratulate Dustin Brown on a heck of a career. He's a champion who played his last hockey game tonight and I was proud to get to witness his last game. I'd also like to congratulate the Los Angeles Kings and their leadership under Luc Robitaille, Rob Blake, Todd McLellan, Trent Yawney and their player leadership including Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Phillip Danault and Jonathan Quick. I thought that was a heck of a series. Just an absolute heck of a series and it's a credit to both teams for playing as hard as they did."
Coach Woodcroft on the series pushing the Oilers to become a better team:
"As we move forward here for our team, that series pushed us in a certain way that made us grow. We learned a lot about ourselves over these last two weeks and the price that needs to be paid to have success at this time of the year. I'm proud of our group and I'm looking forward to moving on to Round 2 whoever that is against."
"I thought we tried to put an emphasis on playing the game tight making sure our numbers were tight, there wasn't big separation between our players. Ever since Dave Manson and I came up from Bakersfield, our work back to our own end has been a real focal point for our team; being organized in how we work back to our own end. I thought tonight in one of the most pressure-filled situations of our year and in fact the last two elimination games that we were facing, we had habits that held up under pressure. That's a good sign for us as we move forward."