Anze Kopitar scored in overtime to cap a three-point game and give the visiting Los Angeles Kings a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
The teams’ best-of-seven Western Conference first-round playoff series is tied 1-1, with Game 3 set for Friday in Los Angeles.
Adrian Kempe scored twice while Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala tallied once apiece for the Kings, who recovered after surrendering leads of 3-1 and 4-3. Goalie Cam Talbot made 27 saves. Quinton Byfield posted two assists, including one on the game-winner.
Right after Talbot made a stop, Kopitar was sent on a partial breakaway and whipped a top-corner, glove-side shot at 2:07 of the extra period for his first goal of this year’s playoffs.
Kopitar told Sportsnet, “I was just kinda hanging out in the middle of the ice and the puck bounced — I don’t know where it bounced from — but the next thing you know, it was on my tape, and I figured I’d give it a shot. It worked out.”
“Tonight was a much better effort structurally for the team. We’re still taking a few unnecessary penalties, which we’re trying to avoid, but we’ll fix that going forward. In playoffs, everything is tight, and usually one goal makes a difference.”
Dylan Holloway scored twice while Brett Kulak and Zach Hyman tallied once each for the Oilers. Leon Draisaitl and Mattias Janmark both posted two assists and goalie Stuart Skinner stopped 21 shots.
Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm said, “I still like the way we played. We’re still producing a lot, and I think we’d like to keep it that way and would like to (limit the Kings’ chances). But this is the playoffs. It’s highs and lows, and we weren’t going to go 16-0.
“I think the group can find confidence in things we did out there, and there’s things we can also do better.”
After dropping the series opener 7-4, the Kings were looking for a quick start and received it when Kempe tallied at the 3:19 mark with the game’s first shot, which came from the slot.
Kempe doubled the lead at 14:57 of the frame by smacking a bounding puck out of the air and into the cage for his second of the night and third of the series.
Kulak provided a much-needed offensive jolt for the Oilers when he unloaded a one-timer from the high slot into the top corner at 17:33 of the first period, but Doughty replied 29 seconds later when he converted a breakaway.
Then the roller coaster really took off. Holloway made it a one-goal game at 7:51 of the second period with a shot off a rush for his first ever playoff goal. Hyman’s power-play goal, his fourth tally of the series, evened the score at 10:33 of the middle period.
Fiala restored the Los Angeles lead 1:46 into the third period by wiring a sharp-angled slap shot, but Holloway replied 97 seconds later with a top-corner shot from inside the top of the right circle.
–Field Level Media
