The Edmonton Oilers finally found their game — and perhaps their groove — in a frantic 7-4 comeback win over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night at Rogers Place, slicing the Kings’ series lead to 2-1 in their best-of-seven first-round showdown.
Evan Bouchard and Connor Brown each scored twice, with Edmonton erupting for four goals in the final 6:42 of regulation. The Oilers, who had surrendered 12 goals in back-to-back losses in Los Angeles, rallied from a 4-3 deficit to avoid the brink of elimination and energize a roaring home crowd.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane, and Connor McDavid also scored for Edmonton. Calvin Pickard, making his first playoff start after replacing Stuart Skinner, made 25 saves to earn the win. Darcy Kuemper turned away 29 shots for the Kings in the loss.
The Oilers struck early, with Nugent-Hopkins scoring less than three minutes in, then added a quick-strike power-play goal from Bouchard to make it 2-0. But the Kings clawed back — Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, and Drew Doughty each scored, including two power-play goals as L.A. flexed its special teams muscle.
After Brown tied the game late in the second, the Oilers suffered a letdown just nine seconds later when Trevor Moore gave the Kings a 4-3 lead heading into the third.
The drama peaked late. Kane jammed in the tying goal at 13:18 — upheld after video review — and the Kings’ failed challenge for goaltender interference handed the Oilers a power play. Just 10 seconds later, Bouchard capitalized with his second goal of the night off a slick feed from Leon Draisaitl.
McDavid and Brown iced the win with empty-netters, sealing a wild third-period surge and Edmonton’s first victory of the series.
The win snaps a tough two-game stretch for the Oilers and breathes new life into their playoff campaign. The series continues with a pivotal Game 4 on Sunday in Edmonton.
