Kings edge Oilers 4-3 in OT to take early lead in playoff series
Alex Iafallo scored the overtime winner for the Los Angeles Kings in a 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers to open their first-round playoff series Monday.
Iafallo scored a power-play goal at 9:19 of OT by converting a Victor Arvidsson feed from behind the net.
Adrian Kempe scored twice and Anze Kopitar had a goal and three assists for Los Angeles, which held Oilers captain and NHL scoring leader Connor McDavid off the scoresheet.
Kings goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 38 saves for the win.
Leon Draisaitl countered with a pair of goals and Evan Bouchard also scored for the Oilers (50-23-9), who ranked second in the Pacific Division this season ahead of third-seeded Kings (47-25-10).
Oilers starter Stuart Skinner stopped 31 shots in his NHL playoff debut.
Edmonton defenceman Vincent Desharnais was penalized in overtime for tripping Blake Lizotte, although Lizotte appeared to step on a broken stick on the ice and fall.
The Oilers almost ended it at 1:54 of OT, but officials ruled Ryan McLeod's shot from the blue line deflected off Derek Ryan's high stick.
The Oilers will try even the series in Wednesday's Game 2 at Rogers Place.
Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-seven affair are Friday and Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
Edmonton also dropped the opener of a first-round series against the Kings last year, but the Oilers took it four games to three to advance.
The Oilers led Monday's opener 2-0 after the first and second periods before a four-goal third.
Kempe halved the deficit 52 seconds into the third period when the clubs played four aside.
Draisaitl restored Edmonton's two-goal lead at 8:46 only for Kempe to pull his team within a goal again at 11:23.
With Bouchard serving a high-sticking penalty, and Korpisalo pulled for an extra attacker, Kopitar produced the equalizer with 17 seconds remaining in regulation.
The puck lay in the crease for Kopitar to poke in after Philip Danault's shot squeezed between Skinner's pads.
Quinton Byfield fed Kempe following an offensive zone faceoff for the latter to beat Skinner with a shot far side for his second goal of the game.
Korpisalo made the initial save on Draisaitl's backhand attempt as the big centre skated out from behind the net.
The puck squirted loose in the ensuing goalmouth scramble. Draisaitl skating by again reached back to get a shot away for his second goal.
Kempe cut from the wing to the high slot and put a backhand by Skinner's glove for his first of the game.
The Oilers killed off a pair of penalties early in a goal-free second period.
The hosts led 2-0 on Bouchard's first-period, power-play goal at 12:31. On a 5-on-3, the defenceman strode in from the blue line to ring a shot off the post and into the net.
Bouchard nearly scored again in the second when he put a shot from the blue line off the iron.
McDavid generated the two-man advantage for his team with his fleet feet.
Kings defenceman Drew Doughty took a holding minor. Mikey Anderson was then called for hooking trying to to slow McDavid driving to the Kings' net.
Edmonton's league-best power play, with a record 32.4 per cent success rate this season, went 1-for-3 in the game.
The Kings, who ranked fourth with a man advantage, went 2-for-6.
Draisaitl scored Edmonton's first goal of the post-season at 6:57. Mattias Janmark and Evander Kane worked the corner to gain possession of the puck. The puck deflected off Kings defenceman Matt Roy's skate and out to Draisaitl to put a snapshot home.
The Oilers taking an early lead generated extracurricular pushing and shoving at the players' benches during line changes.
Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse gave Doughty an open-ice shot to the chest late in the period.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Hurricane Milton is forecast to become a Category 5 and is taking aim for Florida
Milton rapidly strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and was forecast to become a Category 5 storm on a path toward Florida, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and setting the stage for potential mass evacuations less than two weeks after a catastrophic Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.
A woman was recently diagnosed with scurvy. Here are the factors tied to the disease
Scurvy is not just an archaic diagnosis of 18th-century seafarers and doctors should be on the lookout for possible cases, according to researchers following a recent case.
Lawyers for Madeleine McCann suspect seek acquittal in his German trial on unrelated sexual offence charges
Lawyers for a man who is also under investigation in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann called on Monday for him to be acquitted in his trial on charges of unrelated sexual offences.
Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone, dead at 63
Christopher Ciccone, a multihyphenate artist, dancer, designer and younger brother of Madonna, has died. He was 63.
Alleged suicide kit salesman files in Supreme Court to contest whether assisted suicide can ever be murder
Lawyers representing the Ontario man accused of selling hundreds of suicide kits with deadly effect around the globe have filed to intervene in a case in Canada’s highest court, arguing there is no way he can be charged with murder under Canadian law.
Canadian leaders, demonstrators hold events on anniversary of Oct. 7 attack
Ceremonies, events and protests are being held across Canada today to mark the anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
Rare cloud formations ripple the sky over Ottawa
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
Man arrested after stealing Vancouver police cruiser, driving it into neighbourhood park
A man stole a police car and drove it onto the field of an East Vancouver park Sunday morning, placing 'dozens of bystanders in harm’s way,' according to police.
War rages on multiple fronts as Israel marks a year since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack
Israelis held sombre ceremonies on Monday to mark a year since the deadliest attack in the country's history, a Hamas-led raid that shattered its sense of security and ignited wars on two fronts with no end in sight.