EDMONTON, ALBERTA – – Philip Danault took advantage after a mistake by Edmonton goalkeeper Mike Smith and scored in the tiebreak at the end of the third period, leading the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-3 victory over the Oilers on Monday night in Game 1 of the playoffs. from the first round.
Smith tried to clear the puck behind his net and instead put it on a Kings player’s stick in front. Smith made a rescue by diving, but failed to hold the puck. Seconds later, Dano scored at 14:46 from the third after a shot by Sean Dursey from the point.
“The playoffs are a long way off. There will be ups and downs, “Smith said. “The way you handle it makes you good or makes you a team that watches from the sidelines.”
Smith stopped 31 of the 35 shots he faced for Edmonton.
“I was just trying to make something happen,” Smith said. “Obviously I’m trying to do too much there. In such a tense game, you can’t afford to make such mistakes. In the end, it’s worth the game. I’m obviously disappointed, but it’s a game and we’re moving on. “
Trevor Moore and Alex Jaffalo had a goal and an assist for the Kings. Brandon Lemieux also noted.
Connor McDavid and Kaylier Yamamoto had a goal and an assist for Edmonton. Leon Drysight ended the score with a powerful game.
Kings goalkeeper Jonathan Quick made 35 saves.
Match 2 is on Wednesday in Edmonton. The series moves to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Friday.
For Kings head coach Todd McLellan, the game was a good example of how his team has been playing lately, with good scrutiny, excellent goalkeeping and players taking advantage.
“We played in our skin, we played on our identity, just a copy of the way we did it,” McLellan said.
Edmonton is in the playoffs for the third season in a row, but last year’s series was short as the Winnipeg Jets overtook the Oilers in the first round by four games.
The environment may have played a role in Edmonton falling 2-0 in the middle of the first period, McDavid said.
“There’s a lot of emotion with the fans in the building, and I thought we just didn’t do so well,” he said. “The Kings jumped us.”
Moore opened the scoring in the 11th minute of Monday’s game by firing from inside the circle over Smith’s outstretched glove.
He then set up Jaffalo to give the Kings a 2-0 lead with 16:52 in the first. Located below the goal line, Moore sent a pass to Jaffalo from behind and Jaffalo wasted no time in putting him in the Oilers net.
Edmonton reduced the deficit before the end of the starting period with another worthy goal by McDavid.
The Oilers captain sprinted along the ice, holding several Kings defenders, and shot past Quick to make it 2-1 with 42 seconds to go.
Songs of “MVP! MVP! ” followed by the boisterous crowd. McDavid won his fourth Art Ross Trophy this season after scoring the top 123 points in the league.
The Oilers leveled at the start of the second with a goal in power play after Jaffalo was called up for stumbling.
Duncan Keith fired a long shot and Yamamoto aimed it at 2:39 in the period.
Lemieux sent a shot from the top of the lifting circle in a 3:50 run per second to regain the Kings’ lead.
Edmonton tied the game again in the middle of the period with another goal in the power play, after Jaffalo was called for a cross-check.
McDavid sent a pass that bounced off a broken stick in the slot before Draisaitl settled it and sent a quick shot past Quick 9:56 per second.
Edmonton got 2 for 4 with the man’s advantage. The Kings were 0 for 4.
Match notes Defender Darnell Nurse has returned to the Oilers after missing four games with a knee injury. … The Kings played without Victor Arvidson, who left training early on Saturday. The winger has scored 49 points (20 goals, 29 assists) in 66 games this season. … Monday marked the first playoff game between the Oilers and the Kings since 1992, when Edmonton beat Los Angeles in a series of six games in the division’s semi-finals.
——
Add Comment