Oilers Defeat Kings 6-4 to Win 1st Round Series

Going into Game 6 of the best-of-seven first round Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton has only held the lead for just 42 minutes, compared to 177 for the Kings.

Since the third period of Game 4, Edmonton has grabbed the momentum and outscored Los Angeles 6-1 and outshot the Kings 79-34. The Oilers went into Game 6 hoping that history would repeat itself, as they eliminated the Kings on May 1, 2024, in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Game 6 featured the top three scorers in the NHL Playoffs – Connor McDavid, Adrian Kempe and Leon Draisaitl, who went into the game all tied for first place in playoff points with 10. Here’s your game recap:

Game Recap

1st Period

Game 6 turned into a shooting gallery early in the first period. Both teams came out on fire early, scoring four goals before the game was ten minutes old. The Kings’ Quinton Byfield silenced the loud Rogers Place crowd at the 1:19 mark of the first period with the game’s first goal on a breakaway on Oilers’ goalie Calvin Pickard. Assists went to Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere. Adam Henrique tied the game at the 3:04 mark, with assists going to Connor Brown and Evander Kane. The Kings went ahead just 33 seconds later on a shot close in by Brandt Clarke. Assist went to Phillip Danault. The Oilers tied the game at the 5:55 mark of the first on a power-play goal by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Assists went to Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman.

The Oilers grabbed their first lead of the game at the 12:48 mark on a tip-in by Hyman on a Darnell Nurse shot. The second assist went to Nugent-Hopkins. Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper continued his strong play while Pickard settled down and made some key saves late in the first period. Shots on goal: Oilers 14, Kings 11.

2nd Period

Both teams continued to exchange high-danger chances early in the second period without lighting the lamp. Pickard made the save of the series for the Oilers early on in the second period on a clear-cut breakaway off former Oilers forward Warren Foegele. Oilers D-man Nurse scored the first goal of the second, his first of the playoffs, at the 14:59 mark to give the Oilers a 4-2 lead. Assists went to Vasily Podkolzin and Mattias Janmark. Just over a minute and a half later, Trent Frederic scored his first goal as an Oiler to give the Oilers a 5-2 lead. Assisting on Frederic’s first goal were Connor Brown and Brett Kulak. Just as it looked as though the Oilers were going to run away with things, Jordan Spence scored his first of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Kings at the 18:01 mark to make the score 5-3. Assists went to Fiala and Samuel Helenius. Shots on goal after two periods: Oilers 22, Kings 15.

3rd Period

The first five minutes of the third period featured more back-and-forth play with some good saves by both Kuemper and Pickard. The Kings went on the power play at the 7:49 mark but were thwarted by Pickard who made a couple of key saves while the Oilers were shorthanded. The Kings came close to scoring at the 5:37 mark when Pickard got steamrolled by the Kings’ Mikey Anderson, forcing defenceman John Klingberg to come up with a big snow angel save in the crease for the Oilers. The Kings pulled Kuemper with 4:18 remaining and kept the pressure on the Oilers. Pickard made a huge pad save at the 3:29 mark to keep the Oilers ahead by two. Anze Kopitar scored on a redirected shot by Drew Doughty from the point with 53 seconds left to keep the Kings alive. It was an intense final minute that was capped off by an unassisted empty net goal by Connor Brown with eight seconds left. Final shots on goal: Oilers 29, Kings 26.

Kuemper and Pickard were both outstanding in this game and the series. Pickard gave the Oilers the kind of clutch goaltending they’ve been looking for, and he won four games in a row for Edmonton.

The Oilers will now travel to Vegas to take on the Golden Knights in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.