LOS ANGELES — Looking to break through against the Edmonton Oilers after three consecutive first-round losses, the Los Angeles Kings blew all of a three-goal third-period lead before Phillip Danault rescued them in scoring with 41.1 seconds left for a dramatic 6-5 victory in Game 1 on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Each of the victories by Edmonton over the past three seasons has seen the Oilers advance with one fewer game to clinch each triumph. The Kings, motivated by those defeats, sent a definitive opening message that they’re a different, better team. It looked that way for 40 minutes until the Oilers pulled off a stunning rally. Connor McDavid would cap it by tying the game at 5-5 with 1:28 left.
Starting at home for the first time, the Kings showed why they won a franchise-best 31 games on their ice. Danault scored twice and Andrei Kuzmenko scored a goal and had two assists in his first Stanley Cup playoff game. Adrian Kempe also scored as part of a three-point night. Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield added goals.
The Kings struck early as Kuzmenko, a trade deadline acquisition by general manager Rob Blake, scored at 2:49 of the first on a tap-in at the net to cash in a Brett Kulak holding the stick penalty.
Feeding off the momentum of that quick score, the Kings kept the Oilers in check for the balance of the period before they built on their lead. As the first 20 minutes were winding down, Byfield got his second career playoff goal on a bank shot off Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner.
It got worse for Edmonton in the second. L.A.’s top line chimed in as Kempe put in a backhand to finish a play with linemates Kuzmenko and Anze Kopitar. The Kings grabbed a four-goal lead as Danault scored after Byfield’s forechecking pressure forced Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard into a second costly turnover in his own zone.
The Oilers did strike with just 4.7 seconds left in the second as their monster duo of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl connected, with Draisaitl firing in a one-time shot from McDavid past Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper. Coming into Game 1, the two had combined for 66 points in 18 playoff games against the Kings over their three series wins.
But the Oilers, who have been a banged-up squad for the last month, didn’t get much from the rest of their lineup until the third period. Mattias Janmark did provide a spark with a greasy goal early in the third as Edmonton won that battle of fourth lines at the L.A. net. Corey Perry then scored the 55th playoff goal of his long career when he banged in a feed from McDavid down low.
Zach Hyman brought the Oilers even closer by scoring on Kuemper at the net with 2:04 remaining as they pulled Skinner for an extra attacker. And when McDavid delivered, the sellout crowd at Crypto was in complete shock. Joy would return seconds later when Danault floated a knuckleball shot over Skinner.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
