(Edmonton) Leon Draisaitl scored two goals and the Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Los Angeles Kings by winning Game 5 of their first round series 4-3, Wednesday night at Rogers Place.
Posted at 6:18 a.m.
The Oilers got the better of the Kings in the first round of the playoffs for a third year in a row. They will face the winner of the series between the Vancouver Canucks and the Nashville Predators in the Western semi-final. The Canucks lead this series 3-2.
Evander Kane and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers, who scored a power play goal, but also two others when the opposing player had just left the penalty box. Evan Bouchard had three assists and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid each had two.
Stuart Skinner made 18 saves in front of the Oilers net.
Alex Laferriere, Blake Lizotte and Adrian Kempe generated the Kings’ offense. Matt Roy had two assists and David Rittich stopped 22 shots.
Kane opened the scoring after 10:17 of play. His shot was poorly controlled by Rittich and the puck slipped behind the goal line.
The Kings took advantage of a lucky jump to respond with 28 seconds left in the first period. Vladislav Gavrikov’s clearance in the Oilers zone hit a metal rod along the bay window and the puck returned to the front of the net abandoned by Skinner. Laferriere was able to shoot in an abandoned cage.
Lizotte then gave the Kings the lead 3:08 into the second period. Viktor Arvidsson joined him behind the Oilers defense and beat Skinner on the shield side.
Draisaitl saw Rittich take a shot and make an incredible save at his expense at 7:46, during an Oilers power play. However, replays showed that Rittich’s glove, and the puck, crossed the red line and the goal was awarded after video review.
The Oilers’ power play returned at 12:21. Draisaitl scored on a one-timer after a McDavid feed from behind the net, just after a penalty against Pierre- Luc Dubois.
Hyman then gave the Oilers a two-goal cushion with 52.9 seconds left in the second period, scoring in turn right at the end of a power play. A powerful shot from Bouchard hit Nugent-Hopkins in front of the net, then Hyman pushed the puck into the goal after it hit the post.
The Kings gave everything in the third period in the hope of extending the series.
Kempe cut the lead to one goal with 2:18 remaining, as Rittich had just been replaced by an extra attacker.
The Oilers, however, resisted the latest assaults from the Kings.
