What began as a promising series for the Los Angeles Kings—with a 2-0 lead and a real chance to bury the Oilers early—has now completely swung Edmonton’s way.
The Oilers dominated Game 5 in Los Angeles, outshooting the Kings 46-22 and securing a 3-1 win that gave them a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven series. Edmonton now has the opportunity to close it out Thursday night at Rogers Place.
“They executed better, they were stronger, and they beat us in every area,” admitted Kings coach Jim Hiller. “They were just the better team.”
It was arguably Edmonton’s finest performance of the season.
“For a full 60 minutes, yeah, probably,” said forward Zach Hyman. “Everyone contributed and did their part. It might be the best we’ve played all year. And even though it was only 2-1 until the empty-net goal, it took all of us.”
The Oilers dominated from puck drop, outshooting L.A. 19-4 in the first period and 14-8 in the second—a continuation of the momentum they built late in Game 4. The Kings simply couldn’t keep up.
“We built something in the third period last game,” said Mattias Janmark. “We found an edge and made sure we didn’t let go of it.”
The only thing keeping the game close early was Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper, who despite entering with an .881 save percentage, stood tall under relentless pressure. After two periods, the score remained close—1-1—with goals from Andrei Kuzmenko for L.A. and Evander Kane for Edmonton.
That was enough for the Oilers, who had outscored the Kings 11-5 in third periods across the first four games. This time, they needed just one. Janmark scored the go-ahead goal at 7:12 of the third, assisted by Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins sealed it with an empty-net goal.
“After the first, we felt like we had control,” said Janmark. “There was a belief in the room that we were the better team. Even after they scored on the power play, we didn’t flinch—we just answered.”
Late Notes: Playoff officiating remains under scrutiny. A critical missed call occurred in the second period when Quinton Byfield appeared to cover the puck in the crease with his hand. Despite being just feet away, referee Kendrick Nicholson failed to call the infraction, denying the Oilers a potential penalty shot.
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