The Edmonton Oilers played like they couldn’t afford to lose Friday. And they didn’t, scoring two goals 10 seconds apart late in the third period to beat the Kings 7-4 in a wild first-round playoff game in which both teams overcame deficits.
The Kings still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 heading into Game 4 on Sunday in Edmonton. But the Oilers’ win means the series will return to Los Angeles for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Advertisement
Evan Bouchard and Connor Brown both had two goals for Edmonton, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid and Evander Kane also scored.
Kigns forward Adrian Kempe (9) skates away as the Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal by forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the first period of the Kings’ 7-4 loss in Game 3 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. (Curtis Comeau / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Read more: Why Andrei Kuzmenko has become a ‘difference-maker’ for the Kings vs. the Oilers
McDavid’s goal and Brown’s second goal were empty-netters after Bouchard scored on a power play to put Edmonton ahead with 6:32 remaining. Edmonton scored four unanswered goals in the final seven minutes.
The Kings’ goals came from Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore, with two coming on the power play.
But the game turned on a decision by Kings coach Jim Hiller to challenge Kane’s tying goal in the third. The unsuccessful challenge gave the Oilers a power play, leading to Bouchard scoring what proved to be the winning goal.
Advertisement
“We understand the situation,” Hiller said. “But clearly we felt that that challenge was in our favor. The next step would have been for us to kill a penalty. That didn’t happen either.
“So it’s a tough stretch for us, no question. That’s hockey. That’s playoff hockey.”
The Oilers, desperate to get back in the series, benched goalie Stuart Skinner, who gave up 11 goals in the first two games, in favor of Calvin Pickard. But Pickard hardly fared better, giving up four goals on 28 shots.
Still, Edmonton played with urgency, taking its first lead of the series less than three minutes in when an unguarded Nugent-Hopkins took a Zach Hyman pass directly in front of the net and pushed the puck under Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper.
Advertisement
Bouchard doubled the lead six minutes later, firing a slap shot past Kuemper from the top of the circle three seconds after the Kings’ Andrei Kuzmenko went off for interference. It was Edmonton’s first power-play goal in six tries in the…