EDMONTON, Alberta — In an exciting turn of events on Friday night, the Edmonton Oilers claimed a thrilling 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, narrowing the Kings’ series lead to 2-1. The Oilers’ triumph was fueled by a stunning burst in the third period, with Evander Kane and Evan Bouchard finding the back of the net just 10 seconds apart. The pivotal goal by Kane, which came with just 6:42 remaining, was initially challenged by the Kings for goaltender interference but was ultimately upheld after review. This failed challenge awarded the Oilers a power play, during which Bouchard capitalized on a skillful assist from Leon Draisaitl to put Edmonton ahead with 6:32 left on the clock.
Exuding confidence and determination, Draisaitl remarked, “We’ve got a lot of character. We’re going to go down swinging if we go down. We’ve created that approach here and that attitude within this organization, and we’re not going to back down until we’re out.” Fans eagerly anticipate Game 4, set for Sunday night in Edmonton.
Reflecting on the evening, Kings coach Jim Hiller emphasized the importance of maintaining composure as the series progresses. “We’ll take a rest just like we did after we won the games,” Hiller explained. “Take a look at it, regroup just like they did. It might sound a little boring, but I think this is how these things go. It’s emotional; the crowd is emotional, we’re emotional, so we’ve just got to cool our heads out and get ready to play another hockey game.”
In addition to Bouchard’s heroics, both he and Connor Brown notched two goals each, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid also contributed to the Oilers’ scoring spree. Calvin Pickard, stepping in after Stuart Skinner started the first two games in Los Angeles, was solid in net with 25 saves. For Kane, it was only his second game back after being sidelined for the entire regular season due to injury. “I thought the first two games we were kind of still in regular-season mode, and tonight, especially in the first period, we looked like we were ready to go and we had a big push in the third,” Kane reflected.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles saw scores from Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Drew Doughty, and Trevor Moore, with goaltender Darcy Kuemper making 29 saves in the face of Edmonton’s persistent offense. As both teams prepare for the next clash, fans on both sides are buzzing with anticipation, eager to see who will emerge as the ultimate victor in this intense sequence of games.