The Edmonton Oilers are progressing to the second round of the Stanley Cup knockouts after a 2-0 win over the LA Kings on Saturday night at Rogers Place. The Oilers won the series 4-3.
“It feels great to win a playoff spot. This is only the second one I’ve been on,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid. “It’s definitely a special feeling.”
“It’s great to do it with this group,” added Draisaitl after the win. “We’ve been through all the seasons – for so many years, even – a lot of ups and downs and a lot of negativity, so it feels great to have this feeling right now.”
With the crowd raging, the Oilers played even better as it took the Kings eight minutes to score a shot on goal.
“It was a dream come true,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said of coaching in front of the Rogers Place crowd on Saturday. “Obviously, the city of Edmonton is behind us.
“The rink has power today.”
Josh Archibald burst into blood when he hit him in the face with a stick, prompting viewers to watch a video of the 4-minute penalty. The tape shows Archibald being beaten by teammate Duncan Keith. The first period is no score.
Midway through the second half, Zach Hyman tossed the shirt into the folds. The shot went straight behind Jonathan Quick and it looked like fate would open the scoring, but Andreas Athanasiou had it wide.
The Oilers top line returned to test later in the second. Kailer Yamamoto made a leap to keep the advantage on the blue line. A few seconds later, Connor McDavid hit the back of the net and put Cody Ceci, who beat Quick in first place in the series.
“I see myself having more opportunities and more opportunities to attack,” Ceci said.
“For the building to go crazy like that is a pretty good adrenaline rush. It’s one of those things I’ll miss for a while. “
The Oilers beat the kings 24-10 in the second inning, which included 17 straight shots. 24 shots in a span of time set a new team playoff record.
“They play a stingy game and do a great job of putting money in the net and breaking you that way, but we stuck with it,” McDavid said.
Woodcroft added: “We’ve tried to focus on tight game play. “In the last two knockouts we’ve faced, we’ve had habits under pressure, and that’s a good sign for us as we move forward.”
Josh Archibald had a breakthrough in the third minute but was unable to score. Not long after, Yamamoto had a great situation from the slot but missed the post.
It took the Kings more than ten minutes to score a shot in the third inning, but it was a dangerous one when Trevor Moore hit a one-touch shot from the right. Mike Smith crossed to make a save.
“Playing our best game in the biggest (game) series, you can’t help but get some confidence out of it,” Smith said.
“Getting past the first round has been a tough issue for a short time, so I think that’s a big boost for this group.”
At 3:53, McDavid was behind Sean Durzi, who would be fined in pursuit. McDavid kept this shot alive and threw a backhand over Quick in fourth.
“That streak has driven us in a certain way that has made us grow, and we’ve learned a lot about ourselves over the past two weeks and the price it takes to be successful at this point. year,” Woodcroft said.
Smith made 29 saves for his second game in the series. Quickly make 39 stops.
The Oilers will play either the Calgary Flames or the Dallas Stars in the second round.
– With files from Brenden Escott, 630 CHED
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