The Los Angeles Kings have taken a 1-0 lead in their first-round series with the Edmonton Oilers.

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The Oilers flew out of the gates and scored two goals in the first period, one from Leon Draisaitl and one from Evan Bouchard on the power play. After a scoreless second period, the Kings scored early in the third to bring themselves to within one goal but Draisaitl answered back to make the score 3-1.
It looked like the Oilers were cruising to a win but then Adrian Kempe scored to cut their lead to one goal. With just under two minutes on the clock, <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648187128533368832?s=20">Evan Bouchard took a high-sticking penalty</a>. The Oilers were able to kill off most of the penalty but <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648188329811398657?s=20">Anze Kopitar scored with 17 seconds left on the clock to tie the game</a>.
The Kings again capitalized on the man advantage in overtime. <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648197127334678528?s=20">Vincent Deshrnais got called for tripping</a> and Alex Iafallo ended the game shortly after.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
alex iafallo wins game one in overtime. <a href="https://t.co/gkwPMWU0RZ">pic.twitter.com/gkwPMWU0RZ</a>
&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648197918489448449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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There’s no sugarcoating it though, that was a brutal way to end a game that Edmonton should have won. It’s hard to take away positives when you can only lose three games in a series if you want to advance, but let’s look at the player of the game, and things worth mentioning.
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<h2 class="text-2xl font-bold" style="text-align: center;">PRESENTED BY BETWAY</h2>
<div class="mb-5"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-122158 size-full" src="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Betway-Article-Image.jpeg" alt="" width="740" height="222" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Betway-Article-Image.jpeg 740w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Betway-Article-Image-300x90.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /></div>
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<h2>Oilersnation&#8217;s player of the game: Leon Draisaitl</h2>
Heading into the third period, I was sure it was either going to be Evan Bouchard or Stuart Skinner taking the award, but alas, the third period saw plenty of scoring.
So tonight’s player of the game goes to Leon Draisaitl, who scored the opening goal for the Oilers, as well as the third goal which gave them their 3-1 lead.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
leon draisaitl&#39;s second of the game extends the oilers&#39; lead to 3-1 partway through the third period. <a href="https://t.co/kzj974s0us">pic.twitter.com/kzj974s0us</a>
&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648182351401451520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It was a whole lot of good and barely any bad for the 27-year-old German-born player. Hopefully, he can continue to dominate the playoffs as he has throughout his career.
<h2>Things worth mentioning:</h2>
The final penalty was a bad call. Blaze Lizotte undercuts Vincent Desharnais, causing him to fall and lose control of his stick. While Desharnais did swing his stick around and stumbled Lizotte, it was the broken stick on the ground which actually tripped the LA King as he tried to push off. I broke down the play below.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Here&#39;s what I saw:
&#8211; The Kings player did undercut him
&#8211; Vincent Desharnais did wrap his stick around
&#8211; However, the Kings player regained balance, and only tripped once he tried to push off with his left skate.
Here&#39;s a breakdown <a href="https://t.co/KDDFkGDkgy">https://t.co/KDDFkGDkgy</a> <a href="https://t.co/GreD5XrmBn">pic.twitter.com/GreD5XrmBn</a>
&mdash; Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) <a href="https://twitter.com/Brennan_L_D/status/1648201432540086273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
With that being said, the Oilers have to do a much better job of closing that game down. They had a two-goal lead with under 10 minutes remaining in the third period of game one, you can’t blow that. Even more disheartening was the goal with just over 16 seconds remaining to tie the game. They’ll have to be better if they want to go far at all in the playoffs.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
anze kopitar ties the game at 3 with 16.7 second left in the third period. we are heading to overtime. <a href="https://t.co/CbjzxIfGhq">pic.twitter.com/CbjzxIfGhq</a>
&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648188329811398657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Evan Bouchard had a mixed game. Up until the third period, he was in contention for the player of the game, as he had scored a goal and showed his composure on several plays. However, a late penalty with two minutes remaining gave the Kings an opportunity to go 6 on 4, before tying the game. He’s a young player and he’ll only get better.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
evan bouchard scores on the powerplay to give the oilers a 2-0 lead. <a href="https://t.co/YeP6j7c7rT">pic.twitter.com/YeP6j7c7rT</a>
&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648156674145001472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Evander Kane can be tough to watch sometimes. He’s a good goal scorer and when he’s physical as he was tonight, he’s fun to watch. However, takes some questionable penalties that can really sink a team. First was the trip, which I admittedly missed. The second penalty, a high sticking call, towards the end of the second was not a good penalty to take though. Stay engaged Kane, but be careful with your stick.
Connor McDavid wasn’t quite shut down by L.A., but he wasn’t as noticeable as he usually is. Including the regular season, this was only the eighth time this year he’s been held off the score sheet. It’s frustrating as well, because he had an opportunity to take a shot, but elected to pass to Draisaitl, which directly led to the Kings&#8217; first goal.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
an adrian kempe backhander gets the kings back in the game. <a href="https://t.co/WT6RZ6X85s">pic.twitter.com/WT6RZ6X85s</a>
&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648178944376713218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Mattias Janmark continues to be one of my favourite players to watch. When he signed with the Oilers, I didn’t think much of it, but he has continued to show what a true bottom-six player is, which the organization had lacked during the decade of darkness. He had an assist in the game, but the 30-year-old could have had even more.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
leon draisaitl opens the scoring for the edmonton oilers in the playoffs giving them a 1-0 lead. <a href="https://t.co/KDoUCfd67T">pic.twitter.com/KDoUCfd67T</a>
&mdash; zach (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648153129354137600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Oilers just don’t win game ones. Since the long playoff drought ended, the only game one that they’ve won was back in 2017 against the Anaheim Ducks. They’ll rebound.
There was definitely some good in this game, but the Oilers will have to play a full 60 of physical play and defence to get past the Kings. The team from LA is definitely no pushover, so they’ll need to be at their best.
<hr />
If you enjoy my content, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.

The Los Angeles Kings have taken a 1-0 lead in their first-round series with the Edmonton Oilers.



Be sure to check out the latest <a href="https://betway.com/en/sports/grp/ice-hockey/north-america/nhl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://betway.com/en/sports/grp/ice-hockey/north-america/nhl&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1681058349964000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0pzLtq2ubs_pEjj5VJbtgG">NHL playoff odds</a> with online sportsbook Betway!

The Oilers flew out of the gates and scored two goals in the first period, one from Leon Draisaitl and one from Evan Bouchard on the power play. After a scoreless second period, the Kings scored early in the third to bring themselves to within one goal but Draisaitl answered back to make the score 3-1.

It looked like the Oilers were cruising to a win but then Adrian Kempe scored to cut their lead to one goal. With just under two minutes on the clock, <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648187128533368832?s=20">Evan Bouchard took a high-sticking penalty</a>. The Oilers were able to kill off most of the penalty but <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648188329811398657?s=20">Anze Kopitar scored with 17 seconds left on the clock to tie the game</a>.

The Kings again capitalized on the man advantage in overtime. <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648197127334678528?s=20">Vincent Deshrnais got called for tripping</a> and Alex Iafallo ended the game shortly after.

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648197918489448449?s=20

There’s no sugarcoating it though, that was a brutal way to end a game that Edmonton should have won. It’s hard to take away positives when you can only lose three games in a series if you want to advance, but let’s look at the player of the game, and things worth mentioning.

<hr />

<h2 class="text-2xl font-bold" style="text-align: center;">PRESENTED BY BETWAY</h2>
<div class="mb-5"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-122158 size-full" src="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Betway-Article-Image.jpeg" alt="" width="740" height="222" /></div>

<hr />

<h2>Oilersnation's player of the game: Leon Draisaitl</h2>
Heading into the third period, I was sure it was either going to be Evan Bouchard or Stuart Skinner taking the award, but alas, the third period saw plenty of scoring.

So tonight’s player of the game goes to Leon Draisaitl, who scored the opening goal for the Oilers, as well as the third goal which gave them their 3-1 lead.

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648182351401451520

It was a whole lot of good and barely any bad for the 27-year-old German-born player. Hopefully, he can continue to dominate the playoffs as he has throughout his career.
<h2>Things worth mentioning:</h2>
The final penalty was a bad call. Blaze Lizotte undercuts Vincent Desharnais, causing him to fall and lose control of his stick. While Desharnais did swing his stick around and stumbled Lizotte, it was the broken stick on the ground which actually tripped the LA King as he tried to push off. I broke down the play below.

https://twitter.com/Brennan_L_D/status/1648201432540086273

With that being said, the Oilers have to do a much better job of closing that game down. They had a two-goal lead with under 10 minutes remaining in the third period of game one, you can’t blow that. Even more disheartening was the goal with just over 16 seconds remaining to tie the game. They’ll have to be better if they want to go far at all in the playoffs.

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648188329811398657

Evan Bouchard had a mixed game. Up until the third period, he was in contention for the player of the game, as he had scored a goal and showed his composure on several plays. However, a late penalty with two minutes remaining gave the Kings an opportunity to go 6 on 4, before tying the game. He’s a young player and he’ll only get better.

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648156674145001472

Evander Kane can be tough to watch sometimes. He’s a good goal scorer and when he’s physical as he was tonight, he’s fun to watch. However, takes some questionable penalties that can really sink a team. First was the trip, which I admittedly missed. The second penalty, a high sticking call, towards the end of the second was not a good penalty to take though. Stay engaged Kane, but be careful with your stick.

Connor McDavid wasn’t quite shut down by L.A., but he wasn’t as noticeable as he usually is. Including the regular season, this was only the eighth time this year he’s been held off the score sheet. It’s frustrating as well, because he had an opportunity to take a shot, but elected to pass to Draisaitl, which directly led to the Kings' first goal.

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648178944376713218

Mattias Janmark continues to be one of my favourite players to watch. When he signed with the Oilers, I didn’t think much of it, but he has continued to show what a true bottom-six player is, which the organization had lacked during the decade of darkness. He had an assist in the game, but the 30-year-old could have had even more.

https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1648153129354137600

The Oilers just don’t win game ones. Since the long playoff drought ended, the only game one that they’ve won was back in 2017 against the Anaheim Ducks. They’ll rebound.

There was definitely some good in this game, but the Oilers will have to play a full 60 of physical play and defence to get past the Kings. The team from LA is definitely no pushover, so they’ll need to be at their best.

<hr />

If you enjoy my content, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.

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