Oilers-Kings revisited: NHL playoff series recap

Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper, right, stops a shot as Edmonton Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl watches during the third period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Los Angeles.

It was the fourth straight year that the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings have met in the first round of the playoffs – and fourth straight year the Oilers beat them to advance.

Edmonton took it in six games this season. The Oilers beat the Kings in seven games in 2022, six games in 2023 and five games in 2024.

The Oilers have only come back from a 2-0 series deficit twice now in team history, beating the San Jose Sharks in six games in the second round in 2006 before this season’s victory over the Kings.

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Game 1

April 21: Kings 6 Oilers 5

Phillip Danault scored his second goal with 41 seconds to play, and the Kings blew a four-goal lead before rallying for a 6-5 victory over the gritty Oilers in the opener of the clubs’ fourth consecutive first-round playoff series.

The Kings led 5-3 in the final minutes before Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid tied it with an extra attacker. Los Angeles improbably responded, with Danault skating up the middle and chunking a fluttering shot home while a leaping Warren Foegele screened goalie Stuart Skinner.

Andrei Kuzmenko had a goal and two assists in his Stanley Cup playoff debut, and Adrian Kempe added another goal and two assists for the second-seeded Kings, who lost those last three series against Edmonton.

• Oilers’ Jeff Skinner makes Stanley Cup playoff debut after 15 NHL seasons

Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala also scored, and Darcy Kuemper made 20 saves in his first playoff start since raising the Cup with Colorado in 2022.

Los Angeles has home-ice advantage this spring for the first time in its tetralogy with Edmonton, and the Kings surged to a 4-0 lead late in the second period in the arena where they had the NHL’s best home record.

That’s when the Oilers woke up and made it a memorable night: Leon Draisaitl, Mattias Janmark and Corey Perry scored before Hyman scored with 2:04 left and McDavid scored an exceptional tying goal with 1:28 remaining.

McDavid had a goal and three assists for the Oilers, who reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final last season. Skinner stopped 24 shots.

Until Edmonton’s late rally, Kuzmenko was the star. Los Angeles went 0-for-12 on the power play against Edmonton last spring, but the 29-year-old Russian — who has energized the Kings since arriving last month — scored during a man advantage just 2:49 in.

Game 2 - April 23

Kings 6 Oilers 2

Kempe had two third-period goals and two assists, captain Anze Kopitar added a goal and three assists, and the Kings routed the Oilers 6-2 to seize a 2-0 series lead.

Byfield and Kuzmenko scored for the second straight game, and Brandt Clarke had his first playoff goal to begin an overwhelming performance by Los Angeles.

The Kings blew a four-goal lead before winning Game 1, and they let a three-goal lead slip to 3-2 early in the third period of Game 2 before seizing control with three goals in less than five minutes while chasing goalie Stuart Skinner.

The Kings largely dominated the first two games of the series in the building where they had the NHL’s best home record, scoring 12 goals — including five by their revitalized power play, which was the worst among playoff teams in the regular season.

• Kane, Klingberg draw into Oilers lineup for Game 2 vs. Kings

Draisaitl and Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Oilers, but the defending Western Conference champions’ endemic defensive struggles couldn’t be covered up by the brilliance of Draisaitl and McDavid, who was held scoreless.

Kuemper made 24 saves for the Kings.

Los Angeles went up 3-0 midway through the second when Kuzmenko added to his extraordinary start with the Kings by smacking home a rebound.

Edmonton finally got on the board when Draisaitl redirected a nifty pass from John Klingberg.

Arvidsson scored against his former team with 15:55 to play to tighten it up, but Kempe answered moments later on a pass from Kopitar, who added L.A.’s third power-play goal shortly afterward.

Calvin Pickard replaced Skinner, but Kempe scored again.

Game 3

April 25: Oilers 7 Kings 4

Evan Bouchard and Connor Brown each had a pair of goals as the Oilers finally showed signs of life, coming away with a wild 7-4 playoff victory over the Kings.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Evander Kane and McDavid also scored for the Oilers, who had allowed 12 goals in their first two post-season losses in Los Angeles and trailed 4-3 with just under seven minutes to play.

• Evander Kane a playoff difference-maker for Oilers after long, hard road back from injuries

Kempe, Fiala, Drew Doughty and Trevor Moore replied for the Kings, who still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.

Goalie Pickard made 25 saves to record the win. Kuemper stopped 29 shots in the loss for the Kings.

Game 4

April 27: Oilers 4 Kings 3 (OT)

Draisaitl scored on a power play at 18:18 of overtime and the Oilers beat the Kings 4-3 to tie the first-round playoff series.

After assisting on Edmonton’s first three goals, Draisaitl beat goalie Kuemper after the puck found him on the right side off a scramble. The Oilers got the power play when Kings defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov tripped McDavid.

• Oilers wear down Kings’ short bench in Game 4

Bouchard tied it with 29 seconds left and goalie Pickard off for an extra attacker, beating Kuemper with a straightaway slap shot from near the blue line.

Bouchard had his second straight two-goal game, also pulling the Oilers within one at 7:51 of the third with a shot that deflected in off the Kings’ Doughty’s skate.

Game 5

April 29: Oilers 3 Kings 1

Janmark scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period, and the Oilers beat the Kings 3-1 for their third consecutive victory and a 3-2 lead in the series.

Kane and Nugent-Hopkins also scored, and Pickard made 20 saves for the Oilers.

Edmonton was finally rewarded for dominating possession and shots throughout Game 5 when Janmark converted a rebound of Arvidsson’s shot with 12:48 to play.

After some fraught final moments, Nugent-Hopkins added an empty-net goal to finish the Oilers’ franchise-record third consecutive comeback playoff victory.

• Oilers stick to plan in taking series stranglehold against Kings

After a slow start, the Oilers tilted the series decidedly in their favor. At the conclusion of Game 5, Edmonton had outshot the Kings 79-35 since the start of the third period of Game 4.

Kuemper made 19 saves in the first period, and Los Angeles went ahead early in the second when Kuzmenko tipped home Kopitar’s shot during a power play. Kuzmenko recorded his sixth point of the postseason and his 23rd point in 27 games since joining the Kings less than two months ago.

The Oilers answered less than three minutes later with Kane’s goal from the slot. Kane went unpunished later in the period for a knee-on-knee hit on Kempe.

Edmonton’s 33 shots in the first two periods were the most allowed all season by Los Angeles, which was shut down after scoring 19 goals in the first four games of the series.

Perry also scored for Edmonton, and Pickard stopped 38 shots.

Moore, Foegele and Fiala scored for the Kings, and Kuemper made 44 saves — 17 in overtime.

Game 6

May 1: Oilers 6 Kings 4

Connor Brown had a goal and two assists as the Oilers punched their ticket through to the second round of the playoffs with a wild 6-4 victory over the visiting Kings.

Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse, Zach Hyman and Trent Frederic each had a goal and an assist, and Adam Henrique also scored for the Oilers.

Edmonton won four straight to take the best-of-seven series in six games. The Oilers will take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round.

Byfield, Clarke, Kopitar and Jordan Spence replied for the Kings.

• Oilers’ depth ponies up to eliminate Kings

Los Angeles hasn’t won a playoff series since 2014, when it defeated the New York Rangers to win the Stanley Cup.

Pickard made 23 saves in net to record the win, while Kuemper stopped 23-of-28 shots for the Kings.

In the last four playoffs, the Oilers are now 7-1 in series-clinching games, with the only loss coming in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup final in Florida.

Edmonton has defeated Los Angeles in each of the past six potential series-clinching games between the two teams dating back to Game 6 of the 1991 Smythe Division Final.

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press