Oilers blow out Kings in Game 3 to take series lead
The Edmonton Oilers regained a 2-1 series lead after a 6-1 Game 3 victory over the LA Kings on Friday night.
It was a night when the Oilers rediscovered their offensive upside and took care of play in their zone. Edmonton jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first period and fended off a second-period push by the Kings to take a 4-1 going into the third period.
“We gotta continue to do that,” Darnell Nurse told reporters after the game. “We can’t just do that one game and take the next game off.”
Zach Hyman started things with the type of goal only he could score.
Goal No. 5 for No. 18 pic.twitter.com/aGCmF0W7ah
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 27, 2024
Connor McDavid, Evander Kane, and Leon Draisaitl got two en route to the blowout victory. Hyman also had another in the third period.
Playoff Draisaitl
There might not be a better playoff performer in the entire NHL right now than Draisaitl. He picked up two goals and an assist to push his career totals to 84 points in just 52 playoff games. He has three goals and seven points in three games this series.
Guess you could say they forgot about him. 🤭 pic.twitter.com/HhgvmmuB22
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 27, 2024
Draisaitl also etched himself into the NHL history books, becoming the fastest player to record 20 goals on the road in the playoff goals, doing it in just 26 games. The mark surpasses Kevin Stevens and, former Kings legend, Bernie Nicholls.
Leon Draisaitl scored his 20th career road goal in the #StanleyCup Playoffs and did so faster than anyone else in NHL history. 🤯
Watch him now on @NHL_On_TNT (TBS), @SportsonMax, @Sportsnet and @TVASports #NHLStats: https://t.co/GPxODkEctI pic.twitter.com/AsyNogoHj3
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 27, 2024
Playoff dominance is nothing new for the German power forward as he torched the opposition in last year’s postseason with 13 goals and 18 points in just 12 games. It looks like he has picked up where he left off.
Kane arrives
It took Kane a bit longer to make his mark in this series, but he did so in Game 3 with a huge second-period marker to stifle a Kings comeback bid.
That isn’t to say he has played bad. Kane has been one of the more involved Oilers forwards in this series, but scoring has always been a big part of his game. It made up for a rather ugly defensive blunder earlier in the period that let Drew Doughty get wide-open for LA’s first goal.
“I think he just feeds off the intensity,” Draisaitl said of Kane after the game. “I thought the first three games here he’s been fantastic.”
EDM LAK G3. April 26, 2024. Evander Kane goal. 4-1.🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/GE7JrsAgBD
— Nation Network Media (@NationNMedia) April 27, 2024
He also dropped the gloves in a rare playoff fight, taking exception to an open ice hit by Andreas Englund in the third period to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick. A scrum after the whistle led to a 5-on-3 power play that the Oilers capitalized on.
EDM LAK G3. April 26, 2024. Andreas Englund hit on Evander Kane.🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/B8pqyRq9ry
— Nation Network Media (@NationNMedia) April 27, 2024
As the game wore on, it seemed like Kane had gotten himself firmly in the head of the Kings.
Skinner redemption
If the Oilers needed something more from one of their players in this game, it was Skinner.
He was coming off two pretty harsh games to open up the playoffs, allowing nine goals in that span and not getting a lot of puck luck either. He seemed pretty level-headed after Game 2’s OT loss, and he figured things out tonight.
He ended the night with a .964 save percentage while stopping 27 of the 28 shots he faced.
The Oilers capture the ever-important 2-1 lead in the series and have a chance to take a stranglehold on the series on Sunday night.
More to come…
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