EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers were staring down a grim deficit, trailing by a goal with just over 12 minutes left in Game 3 of their Western Conference First Round series against the Los Angeles Kings. Then, in a flash, everything flipped. Two lightning-fast goals, 10 seconds apart, sparked a 7-4 Oilers victory on April 25 at Rogers Place, giving Edmonton a 2-1 series lead in a playoff clash that’s already a rollercoaster.
The Kings had seized control early, jumping to a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe. Edmonton’s Connor Brown clawed one back before the intermission, but Los Angeles kept the pressure on. By the third period, Trevor Moore’s one-handed flick past goaltender Calvin Pickard—nine seconds after Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl had tied it at 3-3—put the Kings up 4-3. The crowd was restless, the Oilers’ bench tense. It felt like the game, maybe the series, was slipping away.
Then Evander Kane happened. At 7:39 of the third, he banged in a rebound to knot the score at 4-4, igniting the Rogers Place faithful. Before anyone could catch their breath, Evan Bouchard ripped a shot from the point just 10 seconds later, the puck screaming past Kings netminder David Rittich. The arena exploded. Edmonton had the lead, and the momentum was a freight train.
Bouchard wasn’t done. He added another goal later in the period, while Brown matched him with his second of the night. Connor McDavid, quiet for stretches, chipped in a goal and two assists, and Draisaitl’s pair of helpers kept the Oilers’ power play humming. Pickard, steady in net, turned away 25 shots to seal the win. For the Kings, Drew Doughty, Kempe, and Moore each had a goal and an assist, but their defense crumbled late, and Rittich couldn’t stem the tide, allowing seven goals on 33 shots.
The Oilers’ power play, lethal all night, went 2-for-2, capitalizing after a failed Kings coach’s challenge on Kane’s tying goal. That miscue cost Los Angeles a penalty, and Edmonton made them pay. The Kings, now facing an uphill climb, will look to even the series in Game 4 on April 27 at Rogers Place.
Edmonton’s top line of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Kane combined for seven points. Brown and Bouchard each tallied two goals, a career playoff high for both. The Oilers outshot the Kings 33-29. Game 3 marked the highest-scoring game of the series so far, with 11 goals total.