The Edmonton Oilers lost 4-3 in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday in the first game of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. On Wednesday, the Oilers evened their series at one game apiece with a 4-2 win over the Kings in game two of the best out of seven series.
In an intriguing matchup, this series features an Oilers squad that led the National Hockey League this season with 325 goals. The Kings meanwhile have been significantly better from a goaltending perspective since they acquired Joonas Korpisalo, who has a goals against average of 2.13 in 11 starts since being traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 1.
In game two, the Oilers had a dominant first period as they outshot the Kings 11-3 and went up 2-0 on goals from Derek Ryan and Leon Draisaitl. In the second period, there was some undisciplined Oilers play as Evander Kane of Vancouver, British Columbia and Draisaitl each lacked self-control with minor infractions. The Kings did not score on the two-man advantage, but Gabriel Vilardi of Kingston, Ontario tied the game at two 12 seconds after Los Angeles was two-men up. Then in the third period, the Oilers scored twice as Klim Kostin scored even strength with an unassisted marker two minutes and 20 second into the final frame, before Kane scored an insurance goal from Draisaitl with 23 seconds left. Game three is in Los Angeles on Friday.
