EDMONTON — The Los Angeles Kings survived two comebacks from the Edmonton Oilers to win 5-4 in overtime in Game 2, tying their first-round series.
Anze Kopitar scored the game-winning goal 2:06 into overtime, his 25th career playoff goal. The match will move to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Friday.
The Kings led 2-0 before the game was 15 minutes old, thanks to two goals from Adrian Kempe, who has been a thorn in the Oilers’ side in recent years. They entered the first intermission with a 3-1 advantage after defensemen Brett Kulak and Drew Doughty traded markers.
But the Oilers fought back to tie the game in the second period, thanks to goals from Dylan Holloway and Zach Hyman, the latter on the power play.
Kevin Fiala gave the Kings the lead again at 1:46 of the third, but Holloway answered 97 seconds later to tie the game.
Kopitar, the Kings captain, had two assists to go with his overtime goal.
Kempe remains a problem for the Oilers
Over the past three playoff series between the Kings and Oilers, it’s clear who has become Los Angeles’ main force. Kempe dislodged longtime Kings leader Kopitar with a team-high 75 points this season and was the Kings’ strong man through the first two games of this series.
Kempe provided the spark the Kings needed after the lopsided Game 1 loss. The right winger moved into shooting position after Kopitar intercepted Evan Bouchard’s pass in the Edmonton zone and fired a wrist shot past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner for a 1-1 lead. 0 just 3:19 into the first period. Kempe then sparked a three-on-two rush with a pass breakup at his blue line and drove to the net for a flying redirection of Kopitar’s pass to double LA’s lead.
Before that, Skinner had thwarted another golden opportunity from the Swede. Kempe’s big first period continued a streak of success against Edmonton. He had a goal and an assist in the first game. In Edmonton’s six-game win last season, Kempe scored four times. And in 2022, the winger scored his first two playoff goals in Game 5, the second being the overtime winner.
“When I look at him, he’s just a top competitor,” Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “He wants the puck in those moments. Obviously when he gets it, he’s had moments where he’s been able to take advantage of it and be the hero for us. — Eric Stephens, NHL Editor
Holloway leaves his mark
Holloway showed so well in the final six games of the season after a call-up from AHL Bakersfield – he had five points – that it was impossible for the coaching staff to exclude him from the playoff roster . But with Holloway not playing on special teams and being relegated to the fourth line for the first game, it was hard to imagine what impact he would have.
Well, that’s exactly what he did in the second game by scoring twice.
With the Oilers leading 3-1 heading into the middle of the second period, Holloway forced a turnover in the neutral zone, then got his feet moving. Within seconds, he received a pass from teammate Sam Carrick in the high slot and sent a wrist shot home.
Holloway then ripped another wrist shot past goaltender Cam Talbot’s glove – this time – 3:23 into the third period to tie the game at 4-4.
Aside from his goals, his speed, forechecking and physical play were well received by the Oilers.
Here’s something you can take to the bank: Holloway will be in the lineup for Game 3. — Daniel Nugent-Bowman, Oilers beat writer
Oilers power play looks unstoppable
Edmonton’s power play wasn’t as effective as it was in Game 1, where it was 3 for 4, but it was arguably more electrifying.
The Oilers scored on only one of their three chances, but this goal was a thing of beauty. Zach Hyman moved away from the front of the net to allow Leon Draisaitl to set him up for a one-timer into a gaping cage. The goal was Hyman’s fourth of the playoffs following his hat trick in Game 1.
Without Talbot, the Oilers would have had more production with the man advantage. The Kings goaltender showed his glove on Bouchard and Draisaitl in the second period – although Bouchard’s save came on the same occasion as Hyman’s goal. Still, the Oilers looked like the Harlem Globetrotters handling that puck.
The Oilers were 9-for-16 in the six-game series last year. Add in their efforts from the first two games, and it would behoove the Kings to stay out of the box. — Nugent-Bowman
Skinner must find a way
The Oilers were the better team in this game. It really hasn’t been close.
Through the first two games – and especially based on Game 2 – there appears to be only one possible path to a series victory for the Kings. This route is if Skinner can’t make enough saves.
The misfortune mainly caused a below-average stat line of four goals on 37 shots for Skinner in the opener. But two nights later it was clearer that one or two more stops should have been made.
The only Kings regulation goal Skinner can’t be blamed on is the second – a double deflection last hit by Adrian Kempe.
Kempe’s opener and Drew Doughty’s breakaway markers weren’t terrible opportunities to let in, but they weren’t unstoppable. Fiala’s wobbly shot from the corner, which gave the Kings the lead at 1:46 of the third, must be remembered.
In total, Skinner allowed five goals on 26 shots Wednesday.
Skinner doesn’t need to stand on his head. He just needs to prove he’s a good goalie in this series. The Oilers need a little more from him. — Nugent-Bowman
Kings special teams continue to be risky
If the Kings want to win this series, they need to find themselves in a bind when it comes to managing Edmonton’s vaunted power play, while also generating something positive about their own chances with the power play .
The Kings’ power play had two chances in the opener and fared no better on Wednesday. On their first opportunity, with Corey Perry serving the first of two minors in the second period, the Kings were guilty of missing shots as they focused on moving the puck into the zone. Edmonton. A potential turnover allowed Ryan McLeod to escape on the penalty kill, but Talbot was there for the key save.
Their second power play yielded no momentum, as Viktor Arvidsson had the only chance on which Skinner made an easy save. A third opportunity presented itself in the third period with the score tied at 4-4, but the Kings only got shots from Kopitar and Quinton Byfield, which Skinner deflected. And the Kings penalty kill couldn’t go unscathed, with Hyman scoring his fourth goal of the series on a pass from Draisaitl.
But while Talbot was again heckled by a raucous Rogers Place crowd in Game 2, the struggling goaltender made a terrific glove save on a one-time chance from Draisaitl after Connor McDavid set him up with a magnificent no-look pass. The Kings were able to eliminate two of their three shorthanded situations by skillfully dealing with Byfield’s tripping penalty in the first period. — Stephens
(Photo: Perry Nelson / USA Today)