EDMONTON, Canada — What started as a best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff is now a best-of-three series after the Edmonton Oilers rallied from a two-goal third-period deficit to beat the Kings 4-3 in overtime Sunday, evening the series at two wins apiece.
The winning goal came from Leon Draisaitl, who beat Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper on the power play with 1:42 left in the extra period. Kuemper deserved a better fate on a night he stopped 44 shots.
The teams will meet again Tuesday for Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena, where the Kings have won a league-leading 33 times, including the playoffs. Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday in Edmonton. Game 7, if needed, would be Saturday in Los Angeles.
“They feed off the crowd. At the end, they had more energy, and obviously they came back,” Kings center Phillip Danault said, pointing to the raucous sold-out crowd at Rogers Place. “Obviously it takes a lot of energy. We have to find a way to seal the deal. You have to make those plays when it counts.”
None of that appeared necessary after the Kings, who won the first two games, took a 3-1 lead into the final 13 minutes of regulation. They were 29 seconds away from winning when Evan Bouchard blasted a slap shot by Kuemper from just inside the blue line, capping a wild third-period rally. It was Bouchard’s second goal of the period and his fourth of the playoffs.
It was also the third goal the Oilers have scored after pulling their goalie for an extra attacker, and it marked the third time in four games the Kings have blown a lead in the final 13 minutes.
The Oilers have outscored the Kings 12-5 in the third period and overtime in the series.
Afterward, Jim Hiller was asked about the Kings’ play in the third period of the series, and he was not pleased.
“Next question, please,” he answered.
“They’ve got a pretty good team,” he said. “They’ll come at you. … It ebbs and flows.”
The Kings’ goals came from Trevor Moore, Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala. Danault had two assists. Corey Perry had the other Oilers goal; Draisaitl assisted on Edmonton’s first three goals.
The Kings haven’t beaten Edmonton in a postseason series since 1989 — and haven’t eliminated anyone in the playoffs since 2014, when they won their second Stanley Cup.
The Kings set the tone early, peppering Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard with 10 shots in the first 10 minutes before Moore beat him from the center of the right circle on the 11th shot. The goal, 10:35 into the first period, marked the third time in four games the Kings had scored first.
Foegele, a former Oiler, doubled the lead 91 seconds into the second, spinning into the crease to collect a pass from Danault, then shoving the puck under Pickard.
The Oilers’ pulled that goal back on a power play less than three minutes later when Perry took three whacks at the puck before getting it by Kuemper. Fiala restored the two-goal lead later in the period, reaching up to bat down a high pass from Alex Laferriere, then deflecting the puck into the net off the Pickard’s stick side.
But the Oilers wouldn’t quit, cutting the deficit with 12:09 to play on the first of Bouchard’s two goals. That set the stage for a desperate push from the Oilers, who put 15 shots on net in the final period, the last Bouchard’s tying goal that sent the game to overtime.
Draisaitl, who led the NHL in goals this season, ended it 44 seconds after Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov was called for tripping. It was Draisaitl’s first overtime playoff goal.