3 battles to watch in Oilers-Kings as Edmonton aims to avenge collapse
The Los Angeles Kings struck first in their playoff rematch with the Edmonton Oilers, rallying to erase multiple two-goal deficits and prevail 4-3 in overtime in Game 1. The outcomes of these three matchups powered L.A. to victory in Monday's spirited series opener.
Draisaitl dazzled, McDavid didn't
Leon Draisaitl produced two points per postseason contest on a compromised ankle last spring. Connor McDavid one-upped him, tallying 33 points in a magisterial 16-game playoff run that gobsmacked fans everywhere. After the Oilers superstars both set personal scoring bests this season, they were positioned to pick up right where they left off in 2022.
Four slipups nearly doomed the Kings on Monday. Moving freely, Draisaitl snuck unnoticed into the slot before rifling the series' first goal past Joonas Korpisalo. McDavid stripped the puck from and then sped by Drew Doughty, then dangled Mikey Anderson to induce two obstruction penalties in the span of 30 seconds, setting up Evan Bouchard to score at five-on-three. Draisaitl scored again later when all five Los Angeles defenders lost track of the puck in a scramble.
Those miscues didn't wind up mattering. Game 1 tightened up when Vladislav Gavrikov's deflection of a McDavid pass sparked Adrian Kempe's backhand goal. Quinton Byfield drew back-to-back penalties and poked the puck to Kempe to tee up his second snipe of the third period, inciting Edmonton's collapse. Admirably resilient, L.A.'s defensemen stayed square to McDavid on many of his rushes, holding him pointless as they bought time to tie the score.
Few teams curbed Edmonton's big guns in 2022-23. Draisaitl's 128 points equaled the previous season high in the salary-cap era. McDavid recorded 153 points, blowing out his sidekick and the rest of the league.
These two stars are unstoppable, so beating Edmonton starts with limiting the damage they inflict. Burned in the first period and showered with boos whenever he touched the puck, Doughty shoved McDavid to the ice as L.A. mounted its comeback, fulfilling his promise to "smack" No. 97 if the chance presented itself. Mission accomplished in Game 1.
Kings delivered on special teams
The tale of the tape in this phase of the game favors the Oilers, whose power play scored every third time it vaulted the boards this season. But L.A.'s power play ranked fourth and is one of few league-wide that can threaten to match Edmonton's unit shot for shot.
Both teams are subpar on the penalty kill, though the Oilers potted 18 shorthanded goals for an NHL high since 2006, per Stathead. Korpisalo stoned Mattias Janmark during an Edmonton penalty kill in Game 1 after backpedaling defenseman Sean Durzi astutely blanketed McDavid to deny a cross-ice pass.
The Kings hung in the game long enough to punish Edmonton's indiscipline. The Oilers' commitment to blocking shots snuffed out four Kings power-play attempts, but Anze Kopitar scored on the fifth try with Bouchard in the box for high-sticking, capitalizing 16.7 seconds before regulation ended. When Vincent Desharnais lost body position and tripped Blake Lizotte in OT, Alex Iafallo sniped from the bumper spot to finish a clinical tic-tac-toe passing play.
How McDavid is officiated in the series is a storyline to monitor. The NHL leader in drawn penalties over the past two seasons, McDavid infamously didn't earn a single call in 2021 when the Winnipeg Jets swept Edmonton in Round 1. The Kings took four minors trying to deal with his speed and shiftiness last year. The same issues arose Monday when Doughty hooked McDavid and Anderson hugged him to avoid being posterized.
McDavid racked up 71 power-play points during the regular season, the most in the league since 1996. He would have ranked 57th among NHL scorers if he never played a shift at even strength or shorthanded. Draisaitl, meanwhile, set a record by netting a power-play goal in 31 different games. Their dominance in such situations should clinch Edmonton some playoff wins, but the Oilers' five-on-three was their only significant opportunity in the opener.
Korpisalo made the extra save
The veteran goalies who previously led these teams on deep postseason runs - Mike Smith for Edmonton, two-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Quick for L.A. - have been replaced by fresh faces.
Stuart Skinner might win the Calder Trophy because he stabilized the Oilers when Jack Campbell slumped this season. Acquired for Quick at the trade deadline, Korpisalo established himself as the Kings' steadiest hand in net over 11 appearances. Counting his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Korpisalo ranked 13th in save percentage and ninth in quality start percentage among goalies who made 30-plus starts, according to Hockey Reference.
Korpisalo settled in Monday to offset Edmonton's hot start. Beaten just once in the final 56 minutes, he stopped 11 shots in overtime to expand his save total to 37. Skinner, who posted a .951 save percentage over four April appearances, was positionally sound and stopped 31 shots. But he let in four of the last 17 he faced, faltering for the first time in weeks.
Alternately brilliant and beatable - sometimes within the same period - Smith's goaltending in the playoffs was a wild ride. Quick's performance fell off a cliff in his age-37 season. His replacement was marginally better than Skinner on Monday, putting pressure on the rookie to bounce back as this duel continues.
Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.