Oilers score 4 goals in 3rd period to take down Kings in Game 3

Shane Jones · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 26, 2025 1:24 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Evan Bouchard and Connor Brown each had a brace of goals arsenic the Edmonton Oilers yet showed signs of life, coming distant with a chaotic 7-4 playoff triumph implicit the Los Angeles Kings connected Friday.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane and Connor McDavid besides scored for the Oilers, who had allowed 12 goals successful their archetypal 2 post-season losses successful Los Angeles and trailed 4-3 with conscionable nether 7 minutes to play.

Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore replied for the Kings, who inactive pb the best-of-seven bid 2-1.

Goaltender Calvin Pickard, who replaced Stuart Skinner successful the Edmonton nett for Game 3, made 25 saves to grounds the win. Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots successful the nonaccomplishment for the Kings.

Edmonton started the scoring little than 3 minutes into the opening play arsenic Zach Hyman spun astir down the nett and sent it successful beforehand to Nugent-Hopkins, who made the astir of being elevated to the apical enactment by scoring his archetypal extremity of the series.

The Oilers made it 2-0 conscionable 8:43 into the archetypal frame, scoring 3 seconds into a powerfulness play arsenic Bouchard unloaded a rocket that bushed Kuemper to the apical country for his archetypal extremity and Edmonton's archetypal on-the-man vantage aft being unsuccessful successful the archetypal 2 contests.

The Kings rallied to marque it 2-1, playing four-on-four with 2:42 near successful the archetypal arsenic Kempe kept up his torrid post-season gait with his 4th extremity — making a cleanable changeable precocious to the mitt broadside to bushed Pickard.

Los Angeles tied it connected the powerfulness play 5:43 into the 2nd play arsenic Fiala picked the apical country for his 2nd of the series. Kempe picked up an assistance to springiness him 9 points successful the archetypal 3 games.

The Kings scored different power-play marker with 4:53 remaining successful the second period arsenic Doughty scored his archetypal connected a changeable from the constituent — L.A.'s seventh extremity connected 12 power-play opportunities.

Edmonton tied the crippled with 2:41 to play successful the 2nd arsenic Kane sent a backhand successful beforehand and Brown redirected it home, but the Kings responded conscionable 9 seconds aboriginal connected a atrocious extremity arsenic Moore fought disconnected a defender and poked a brushed changeable done Pickard's legs to marque it 4-3 and deflate the Oilers.

WATCH | Is the Oilers and Kings matchup a rivalry nary 1 wanted, oregon much than that?: 

The Oilers tied it 4-4 with 6:42 remaining successful the 3rd aft a large scramble successful front, arsenic Kane was capable to poke it in. It primitively looked similar Kane whitethorn person kicked it in, but a video reappraisal determined helium past got his instrumentality connected it and it was a bully goal. The Kings past unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference.

That would beryllium costly arsenic the Oilers scored conscionable 10 seconds into the resulting powerfulness play arsenic Leon Draisaitl made a cleanable walk to Bouchard connected a give-and-go for the tip-in and the 5-4 lead.

Edmonton enactment the crippled distant with a brace of empty-net goals from McDavid and Brown.

It is the 4th consecutive twelvemonth that the 2 teams person met successful the archetypal circular of the playoffs, with Edmonton winning successful 7 games successful 2022, six games successful 2023 and 5 games successful 2024. Edmonton has lone travel backmost from a 2-0 bid shortage erstwhile successful squad history, coming backmost to bushed the San Jose Sharks successful six games successful the 2nd circular successful 2006.

Game 4 takes spot connected Sunday successful Edmonton.