The Edmonton Oilers came heartbreakingly close to staging a stunning comeback in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings. After a third-period explosion led by Connor McDavid, which erased a once-daunting four-goal deficit, the Kings snatched victory away from the Oilers with a late goal, sealing a wild 6-5 finish.
In this matchup, goaltender Stuart Skinner faced 30 shots but managed to stop only 24, and his performance did not go unnoticed on social media, where fans expressed their frustrations following the loss.
It was undoubtedly a challenging night for the 26-year-old Skinner. Reflecting on the game, Oilers forward Adam Henrique emphasized the critical nature of each moment. “Now, every single shift, every play matters,” he said. “Even when you’re down and something happens, you know it all matters because you push right to the end. We showed that coming back and sticking with it and tying it up late. We gave ourselves a chance.”
Early on, it seemed like the Oilers’ hopes were fading fast as they found themselves trailing 4-0 before the end of the second period. However, Leon Draisaitl managed to put one past Kings’ netminder Darcy Kuemper late in that frame, igniting some much-needed momentum.
The third period was where the excitement peaked. After cutting the Kings’ lead to 4-2, the Oilers allowed a Kevin Fiala power-play goal that reclaimed a three-goal margin for Los Angeles. But McDavid wasn’t finished yet; he set up a goal by Corey Perry about 13 minutes into the period, narrowing the gap to 5-3. With just over two minutes remaining, McDavid demonstrated why he’s one of the best, making a slick feed to Zach Hyman, who pulled the Oilers within one. Then, in a brilliant individual effort, McDavid tied the game with just a minute-and-a-half left on the clock.
Unfortunately for Edmonton, Phillip Danault had other plans. He scored on a deflected shot with only 42 seconds left, handing the Oilers a gut-wrenching defeat.
Despite the loss, there’s no sense of panic within the Oilers’ locker room. They’ve faced the Kings in the playoffs multiple times before and have a history of overcoming Game 1 disappointments. In 2023, they dropped the first game in overtime but bounced back to secure the series with four wins in five games. The previous year also saw a Game 1 loss, yet the Oilers still managed to advance after a Game 7 thriller.
Now, they look to regain home-ice advantage when they face off against the Kings again at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night. “From our group in here, the pushback was fantastic and expected,” Henrique noted. “It’s tough, obviously, giving up the one right after tying it up.”
In his playoff debut, 32-year-old Jeff Skinner recorded an assist while logging over 11 minutes on the ice after a long wait since his first appearance in 1,078 regular-season games.
But for the Oilers to succeed in this series, they’ll need more from their supporting cast, especially when it comes to the power play. The Kings capitalized on two of their five chances, whereas Edmonton struggled, finishing 0-for-2.
All eyes will be on Game 2, set to drop the puck just past 10:00 p.m. ET, as the Oilers look to bounce back and take control of the series. It’s shaping up to be a thrilling playoff run with plenty of action still to come.
