Kings forward Phillip Danault has played in more than 760 NHL games, including the postseason, in his 11-year career. But he’s not sure he’d ever played a game like Monday’s playoff opener with the Edmonton Oilers.
“It was a little bit shocking,” he said. “Big ups and big downs and up again. That’s emotional. And it’s hard to play a game like that mentally.”
Advertisement
The Kings and Oilers still might be playing had Danault not knuckled a poorly hit shot past Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner in the final minute to give the Kings a wild 6-5 win and 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which resumes Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.
“I’m still in shock,” teammate Quinton Byfield added.
And it’s only Game 1 — although it was a game that featured a little bit of everything, except, perhaps, logic.
Read more: Kings have a fight coach. He’s one of many specialists helping their playoff drive
The Kings had two power-play goals. Edmonton scored twice after pulling its goalie. The Kings had two five-on-three advantages less than four minutes apart in the third period while the Oilers trailed by four goals late in the second period and three goals with 15 minutes to play, only to tie the score in the final minute and a half on two goals 36 seconds apart.
Advertisement
If you blinked in the final period, there was a chance you missed something you had never seen before.
“It’s why we all love it,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “You don’t know exactly what’s going to happen when you come to the hockey game. That’s why it’s so exciting.
“Guys out there were playing passionately and different things can happen. Tonight was one of those nights where, from an entertainment perspective, you just had to sit back and see how it ended. We played well.”
But did they play well enough to win?
Kings forward Adrian Kempe puts the puck past Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner in the second period of Game 1 on Monday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“It’s doesn’t really matter how, at this point,” Hiller said.
Indeed it doesn’t. Because after adding up all of the goals, all of the penalties, the missed chances and the blown advantages, the only numbers that matter are the number of wins each team has. And the Kings have the advantage.
Advertisement
“We’re up 1-0,” Byfield said. “A win’s a win and we’ll take that.”
The Kings have been in this position before, however. They’re playing the Oilers in the first…