GAME RECAP: Oilers 8, Kings 2 (Game 3)

LOS ANGELES, CA - Fourteen goals for and two against in two games. That's good, right?
The Oilers got a hat-trick from Evander Kane and two goals apiece from Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to beat the Kings 8-2 on Friday at Crypto.com Arena and take a 2-1 series lead.

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FIRST BLOOD

An end-to-end beauty allowed the Oilers to jump out to an early 1-0 advantage 3:50 after the opening puck-drop with the teams playing four-on-four. Mike Smith made a save and quickly released the puck to Evan Bouchard, who passed it up to Leon Draisaitl as he and Connor McDavid exploded into the neutral zone on somewhat of a two-on-one rush.
Draisaitl then fed McDavid on the right wing as they entered Kings territory and the captain returned the favour to the German cutting to the crease for the tap-in past a helpless Jonathan Quick. Draisaitl had his third goal in as many playoff games and the visitors had the coveted first lead.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The Oilers extended their lead to 2-0 on the power play at the 6:07 mark of the opening frame on a brilliant passing play from McDavid to Hyman. With Trevor Moore in the box for holding the captain, Tyson Barrie passed the puck down to McDavid to Quick's left and the two-time reigning Art Ross Trophy winner threaded the needle perfectly to Hyman at the side of the net for the winger's first of two on the night and first of the playoffs.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Two goals in the latter half of the second period cut Edmonton's lead to 5-2 heading into the third as the Kings continued to push. Two and a half minutes into the final frame, Alex Edler fed a slick cross-ice pass to to his defence partner Matt Roy who had crept into the circle, but Smith slide across his crease and smothered the shot attempt to preserve the three-goal cushion. The veteran puck-stopper finished the night with 44 saves and now has 12 wins in his last 13 starts dating back to March 24.

TURNING POINT

With a 2-0 lead after the first period, the Oilers scored three goals in a span of 3:24 in the middle frame to extend their lead to 5-0 in rapid fashion. Evander Kane cleaned up the rebound on a Cody Ceci point shot, followed by an impressive individual-effort snipe by Hyman, and concluded with another Kane rebound marker on another Ceci point shot. The Kings replaced Quick with Cal Petersen after Hyman's goal, but Kane provided the newcomer with a rude welcome to the game.

TOP PERFORMER

Kane's first-career playoff hat-trick powered the Oilers to the dominant victory. The winger now has five goals in the last two games and 27 in 46 games since signing with Edmonton.

FAST FACTS

Edmonton scored 11 consecutive goals from the start of Game 2 until the 10:07 mark of Friday's middle frame when Anze Kopitar got the Kings on the board. Smith went 95:21 without allowing a goal while the Oilers posted their second-highest consecutive goal total in the playoffs, one shy of their 12 in 1990.
The Oilers were dialled in on the draws early, winning nine of the first 10 faceoffs and finishing 16-8 at the end of the opening 20 minutes.
Kane became the first Oilers player to record back-to-back multi-goal playoff performances since Bernie Nicholls during the 1992 Smythe Division semifinals also against the Kings.
Nugent-Hopkins' two goals in 80 seconds in the third period were the fastest by an Oilers player in the post-season since Jari Kurri tallied a pair 71 seconds apart in Game 3 of the 1989 Smythe Division semifinals also against Los Angeles.
Edmonton's 17 goals are the most by a team through the first three games of a playoff round since the San Jose Sharks netted 17 goals in their 2014 first-round series also against the Kings.

PARTING WORDS

McDavid on the team's performance tonight and LA's game:
"I thought they had really good pushes tonight. The score didn't necessarily show that. They had a good first period, but we found a way to get two. They have good pushes, they're a solid team over there. This is a long way from over."
McDavid on the back-to-back six-goal victories:
"Just finding ways to win games, that's all that matters this time of year. Doesn't really matter how it looks or what happens. I think we've done a good job of playing well, playing hard, playing physical. They played hard, but I think we did a good job of responding."
McDavid on the Oilers jumping out to a two-goal lead in the first period:
"Anytime you can come into someone's building and get the jump on them it's huge. We were able to do that, but I think they had a great first period. I didn't think we were deserving to be up two. We made a couple of good plays and kind of held on in the first. I thought our game got going early in the second."
McDavid discusses getting contributions from up and down the lineup:
"It takes everybody, up and down the lineup. I think Clouder's line was great tonight too. They brought a lot of energy, a lot of jump and were physical on guys."

Kane on how Friday's game went for the team:
"I think we're a really good team with the lead. Scoring early, countering their push in the first period and getting two goals was a good start for us. We knew we had a lot better after that first period, going into the second we did a great job responding."
Kane on the role of the power play in the Oilers early playoff success:
"Our five-on-five game has gotten a lot better. Obviously, our special teams has been great through these three games. This is the time of year where you want to raise your game and I think we're doing that."
Kane on the play of Mike Smith, and owning the Game 1 loss:
"He was really solid for us in the first period. They had a push and some powerplays and he kept us in the game and got us out of there with a two-nothing lead."
"He's a competitive guy. He's mentally tough. Everybody makes mistakes, it's all about how you respond."
Kane on the scoring contributions from up and down the lineup:
"Coming into the playoffs you're excited. I think our group has a lot of self-belief and we want to take our game to the next level and you're seeing that throughout our lineup."

Kane on the consecutive six-goal victories:
"There's still room for our game to improve. I think we can have better starts. I don't think we've had a great start in any of the three games in this series, but we've stuck with it."
"We don't really look at it as 14-2, we look at it as we're up 2-1 in the series with a really important game on Sunday."
Kane on winning being a learned skill:
"We got up five nothing, they come with a little bit of a push in the second and scored two. There's lots of hockey left to be played, they got the fans back into it and a little bit of energy back on the bench, but we come out and stick with it. We have a strong third period and continue to push the pace and not sit back. I think that's a real key to winning. When you get leads, what do you do with them? Do you sit back or do you continue to push, I think we're doing a good job at that."
Woodcroft on his team's performance in Game 3:
"The most important thing is we found a way to get the win. I thought there was lots to like in our game tonight. Contributions up and down the lineup, big-time goaltending, special teams were good again, and it was a good game for us tonight."
Woodcroft on tonight's performance being a continuation from the win in Game 2:
"I'm not a big believer in carryover. I think you have to re-establish things. I think heading into tonight's game, we expected a push from them; certainly, lots of shots from all angles and that kind of stuff. I thought we displayed some perseverance, persistence, and some patience to our game and struck when the time was right. As I said, I think it's a good sign for us that we got contributions from everybody in a big-team win.
Woodcroft on how close the game could've been if it weren't for Smith:
"I thought Mike was very good. I think Mike's been very good the whole series, and he certainly calms the waters there. But you've got to understand too, and it's something we've talked to our players about, the tactic of shooting from all angles, on the shot clock it feels like there's a lot of numbers up there, but when we go back and look at the game, we try and look for chances and what we're giving up and understanding that, but when we needed Mike, he was there. He's been rock solid for us the entire series."

Woodcroft on scoring 14 goals over the last two games of this series:
"I don't see it like [we're pulling away]. Each game is worth the game, and in a playoff series, your job is to try and get to four. The score of the game doesn't matter if it's 2-1 triple overtime or if it's a bit more lopsided. That doesn't matter. We have to make sure that we're doing the necessary things to clearly see how we've played and what can improve, what areas we want to emphasize, and if we do that and rest up properly, it'll serve us well heading into Game 4. Once again, that was one game. Game number 4 is one game and that's what we're preparing for. That's where our attention is."
Woodcroft on the mood on the bench when the Oilers put up five straight goals:
"Composure. Calm. Really good communication. I really liked the talk on our bench, even when the other team pushed a little bit at the end of the second period there. Our guys are saying the right things. I feel a real esprit de corps among our group. People that are working hard for each other and it's a fun group to stand behind tonight. It was a good win for us, but as I said, I'm trying to bring it back to the baseline here and we're going to do what we need to do to recuperate and get ready for Game 4 on Sunday."
Woodcroft on the value of early goals against a young Kings group:
"We have a lot of young players with not a lot of playoff experience as well, so some of our young guys are getting their footing in an important playoff series. I just think any time you're coming off a non-win in a playoff series, you usually get the other teams' best effort right off the bat and we were ready for it. I thought we were surgical in taking advantage of opportunities that presented themselves. I thought they ran around a little bit to try and get physical with us and we handled it with good composure. We made more plays than them and ended up getting the win tonight."