OILERS vs. KINGS
STREAM: 8:00 p.m. MT; televised on Sportsnet West
Oilers Team Scope
The Oilers will be in some very familiar territory when the puck drops for Game 2 on Wednesday night.
Following the Oilers 4-3 overtime defeat in the opening contest with the Kings, Edmonton finds themselves trailing 1-0 in their first round series for a second straight year. In the 2021-22 postseason, the Oilers also dropped Game 1 to Los Angeles by a 4-3 score, before eliminating the Kings in seven games.
Last night's game looked to be trending in the Oilers favour for the majority of the evening, with the home side jumping out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period after goals by Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard.
Drasiaitl's tally was ripped short side on Joonas Korpisalo after some hard work by Mattias Janmark freed up the puck in the slot, while Bouchard's power-play goal came from an inch-perfect shot from the top of the circle with 8:29 left in the first period.
After a scoreless middle frame, Adrian Kempe and the Kings power-play turned the tide on the Oilers. Los Angeles' leading goal getter scored twice in the first 11:23 of the third period, firing a tricky backhander by Skinner in the opening 53 second of the period before taking advantage of a scramble draw and showing off his quick-shot prowess to beat the Oilers goaltender for his second of the game.
Between the Kempe goals, Draisaitl scored his second of the game off a rebound for his 20th playoff goal and 61st playoff point of his career.
Edmonton were able to hold on to the 3-2 lead until the final 16 seconds of the period, where the Kings took advantage of the numbers game with both an extra attacker and a power play courtesy of a Bouchard high-sticking call. Anze Kopitar jammed a rebound that snuck behind Skinner into the back of the net to send the game to overtime.
The Oilers looked to have won the game early in the extra period when Derek Ryan tipped a points shot by Korpisalo, but upon video review it was deemed Ryan's stick was over the crossbar. Another Kings power play, their sixth of the game, allowed the visitors and Alex Iafallo to notch the winner 9:19 into overtime to give Los Angeles Game 1.
The Blue & Orange carried the play at 5-on-5 for the majority of the game, out shooting the Kings 36-24 at even strength, but a 6-3 advantage in power plays proved to be the difference.
"We were 15-seconds away from winning, so obviously we put ourselves in a good spot," Connor McDavid said. "We'd like to close that one out, obviously, but we didn't. Now time to move on and get ready for the next one."