Oilers score 4 goals in 3rd period to take down Kings in Game 3
Edmonton now trail Los Angeles 2-1 after winning 7-4 at home on Friday
Evan Bouchard and Connor Brown each had a pair of goals as the Edmonton Oilers finally showed signs of life, coming away with a wild 7-4 playoff victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane and Connor McDavid also scored for the Oilers, who had allowed 12 goals in their first two post-season losses in Los Angeles and trailed 4-3 with just under seven minutes to play.
Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore replied for the Kings, who still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Goaltender Calvin Pickard, who replaced Stuart Skinner in the Edmonton net for Game 3, made 25 saves to record the win. Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots in the loss for the Kings.
Edmonton started the scoring less than three minutes into the opening period as Zach Hyman spun around behind the net and sent it in front to Nugent-Hopkins, who made the most of being elevated to the top line by scoring his first goal of the series.
The Oilers made it 2-0 just 8:43 into the first frame, scoring three seconds into a power play as Bouchard unloaded a rocket that beat Kuemper to the top corner for his initial goal and Edmonton's first on-the-man advantage after being unsuccessful in the first two contests.
The Kings rallied to make it 2-1, playing four-on-four with 2:42 left in the first as Kempe kept up his torrid post-season pace with his fourth goal — making a perfect shot high to the glove side to beat Pickard.
Los Angeles tied it on the power play 5:43 into the second period as Fiala picked the top corner for his second of the series. Kempe picked up an assist to give him nine points in the first three games.
The Kings scored another power-play marker with 4:53 remaining in the second period as Doughty scored his first on a shot from the point — L.A.'s seventh goal on 12 power-play opportunities.
Edmonton tied the game with 2:41 to play in the second as Kane sent a backhand in front and Brown redirected it home, but the Kings responded just nine seconds later on a bad goal as Moore fought off a defender and poked a soft shot through Pickard's legs to make it 4-3 and deflate the Oilers.
The Oilers tied it 4-4 with 6:42 remaining in the third after a big scramble in front, as Kane was able to poke it in. It originally looked like Kane may have kicked it in, but a video review determined he then got his stick on it and it was a good goal. The Kings then unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference.
That would prove costly as the Oilers scored just 10 seconds into the resulting power play as Leon Draisaitl made a perfect pass to Bouchard on a give-and-go for the tip-in and the 5-4 lead.
Edmonton put the game away with a pair of empty-net goals from McDavid and Brown.
It is the fourth straight year that the two teams have met in the first round of the playoffs, with Edmonton winning in seven games in 2022, six games in 2023 and five games in 2024. Edmonton has only come back from a 2-0 series deficit once in team history, coming back to beat the San Jose Sharks in six games in the second round in 2006.
Game 4 takes place on Sunday in Edmonton.
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In other playoff games on Friday night, the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils both picked up Game 3 wins to cut their series deficits to 2-1. The Habs beat the Washington Capitals by a score of 6-3, while the Devils won 3-2 in double overtime against the Carolina Hurricanes.