Oilers beat Kings 6-4 to close out
series 4-2 and move into 2nd round of playoffs
[May 02, 2025]
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers may have been
down, but they proved you can’t count them out.
Connor Brown had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers
punched their ticket to the second round of the playoffs with a 6-4
victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse, Zach Hyman and Trent Frederic
each had a goal and an assist and Adam Henrique also scored for the
Oilers, who won four straight to take the best-of-seven series in
six games.
Calvin Pickard made 23 saves.
“We got offense from all over the lineup today, it’s great,” said
Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who had an assist to give him 11
points in the series. “You need that, you need different guys
stepping up. I thought (Brown) had his best game as an Oiler, maybe.
He was fantastic. Pickard, obviously… you go down the list, we had
guys step up. It wasn’t our best, but we found a way tonight and
that’s what good teams do.”
The Oilers will take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the second
round.
“This is a resilient group, one that believes that no matter how
much we are pushed up against the wall that we can find a way to win
and it was a testament to it this series,” Nurse said.
Quinton Byfield, Brandt Clarke, Jordan Spence and Anze Kopitar
replied for the Kings, who have been eliminated by the Oilers in the
first round in four consecutive seasons. Los Angeles hasn’t won a
playoff series since 2014, when it beat the New York Rangers to win
the Stanley Cup.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 23 of 28 shots for the Kings.
“This one’s tough to swallow obviously. Having the season we had,
and to have the guys in this locker room and come up short again,
it’s frustrating — this one hurts a little more,” Kopitar said.
The Kings scored on their first shot just 1:19 into the first period
as Kevin Fiala sprung Byfield on a breakaway.
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Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) celebrates the win with
teammates over the Los Angeles Kings during NHL playoff action in
Edmonton on Thursday, May 1, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press
via AP)
Edmonton tied it 3:04 into the first as Brown took
a shot through traffic that hit Henrique up high and caromed into
the net.
The Kings responded 33 seconds later on just their third shot on
Pickard as a low percentage shot from Clarke appeared to deflect off
Nurse’s stick and went up high and in.
The Oilers tied it again at the 5:55 mark of the opening period on
the power play as Connor McDavid made a nice cross-ice feed to
Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton became the first team in NHL history to
record two game-tying goals in the opening six minutes of a playoff
game.
Edmonton took its first lead with seven minutes to play in the first
as a long shot by Nurse was deflected in by Hyman to make it 3-2.
Los Angeles got within 5-4 with their goalie pulled and 55 seconds
remaining as Drew Doughty's point shot hit Kopitar’s stick on its
way into the net.
Brown put the series away with an empty-netter with two seconds
left.
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