A frantic last two minutes of game five left the Los Angeles Kings one goal short as the Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Kings four games to one.
The Oilers took game five 4-3 at Rogers Centre in Edmonton, Albert on Wednesday night. Connor McDavid had two assists in the game and 11 total points in the series. Leon Draisaitl had two goals. “It’s always been my goal to be a big-time player,” Draisaitl said, “for the most part I think I’ve done that in my career, hopefully, I can keep it going.”
The difference in this series was special teams. The Kings had the second-best penalty kill in the NHL in the regular season. They just couldn’t stop the Oilers’ power play in this series. Edmonton was nine of 20 in the five games, that is 45%. Los Angeles scored zero power-play goals in the series.
Los Angeles Kings Defense Dominated the First Period
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The team to score the first goal won each game in this series. Kings were on their game in the first period. Edmonton had trouble getting through the neutral zone. Ten minutes into the game the Oilers had just one shot on goal. The Oilers’ second shot went into the Kings net.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sent the puck off the half-wall to Brett Kulak on the rush. Kulak threw it in front to Evander Kane. It was 1-0 Edmonton.
The Kings tied the score at one in the last minute of the first period on some bad luck for Edmonton. Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov dumped the puck in and it hit a stanchion. The puck floated into the slot, and Alex Laferriere put it into the open net at 19:32 of the first. It was Laferriere’s first career NHL Playoff goal.
The Physical Play Returns As the Oilers Take The Lead
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It started to look like Game 3 as the physical play returned in the second period. Five penalties were called in a three-and-a-half-minute span.
The Kings took the lead early in the second. Edmonton made a bad change and Vladislav Arvidsson hit Blake Lizotte with a long pass and it was 2-1.
Edmonton tied the game on the power play. David Rittich made a great grab off the stick of Leon Draisaitl. The replay showed the shot pushed his glove across the goal line. The review from Toronto called it a good goal and it was 2-2.
Leon Draisaitl got his second of the night just after a power play ended on a nice pass from, who else, but Connor McDavid. That made it 3-2 Oilers. Stuart Skinner shut the door, “I think we did a great job just staying right in the pocket, staying positive no matter what was happening with us.”
The power play again put the Oilers up 4-2 with under a minute to go in the second. Drew Doughty was just out of the penalty box when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored from the slot. The Oilers outshot Los Angeles 15-5 in the second period.
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Bradley Tachco is a career journalist. I spent 12+ years at CNN as a writer and producer. My sports: NHL, MLB, NFL. My goal: unique content. My teams are the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills (yes, I am a masochist), and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have been a Dodgers fan since I was old enough to think. I have gone through decades of despair with all three franchises. You can follow Bradley on X @p09691
