Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings | Game 2, Round 1 Recap | 4/24/2024

During the second period of the game between the LA Kings and Edmonton, the Kings got a powerplay opportunity, but Edmonton was able to stop them and even gained momentum. Dylan Holloway’s first-ever NHL playoff goal, a screened wrist shot, brought the Oilers closer to the Kings with a score of 3-2. Later, the Kings would pay for another minor penalty, and Zach Hyman scored his fourth playoff goal of the year, evening the game at 3-3. Corey Perry took his second penalty of the period, but the Oilers were able to kill the penalty. The Oilers had another powerplay opportunity with 2 minutes left in the period due to a delay-of-game minor from the Kings, but Cam Talbot made an unreal glove save on a wide-open slap-shot from Leon Draisaitl just as the powerplay expired, ending the second period.

At the beginning of the third period, the LA Kings scored quickly as Kevin Fiala managed to score a long slap-shot from the blue line, making it 4-3 for LA. The goal should have been an easy save for Skinner, but he was screened by his own teammate, Mattias Ekholm. The Oilers managed to tie the game at 4-4 with another wrist-shot goal from Dylan Holloway. Later, Zach Hyman laid out Phillip Danault in the open ice, which erupted the crowd at Rogers Place and built momentum for the Oilers. With 7 minutes left in the third period, Connor McDavid was called for a holding penalty, and the Kings went on the powerplay. However, the Oilers managed to kill it off, and the game went into overtime tied at 4-4.

The Oilers began the overtime period with a barrage of shots on Talbot, but he managed to hold his ground. However, overtime did not last for long, and Darnell Nurse’s lack of attention allowed Anze Kopitar to capitalize on a fortunate bounce at the blue line and snipe the game-winning goal past Stuart Skinner. Although the loss cannot be attributed to Skinner alone, the Oilers will need to tighten up defensively if they want a chance at winning the series. The Oilers will seek to bounce back against the Kings in Game 3, which will take place on Friday night at the Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles at 7:30 PM PST.

Three Stars of the Game:
1) Anze Kopitar- 2 Assists, Game Winning OT Goal
2) Adrian Kempe- 2 Goals
3) Dylan Holloway- 2 Goals (First Career Playoff Goal)

Coach Knoblauch- Post-Game Media Availability