Phillip Danault scored his second goal with 41 seconds to play, and the Los Angeles Kings blew a four-goal lead before rallying for a 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the opener of the clubs’ fourth consecutive first-round playoff series Monday night.
The Kings led 5-3 in the final minutes before Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid tied it with an extra attacker. Los Angeles improbably responded, with Danault skating up the middle and chunking a fluttering shot home while a leaping Warren Foegele screened goalie Stuart Skinner.
Andrei Kuzmenko had a goal and two assists in his Stanley Cup playoff debut, and Adrian Kempe added another goal and two assists for the second-seeded Kings, who lost those last three series against Edmonton.
Quinton Byfield, Phillip Danault and Kevin Fiala also scored, and Darcy Kuemper made 20 saves in his first playoff start since raising the Cup with Colorado in 2022.
Los Angeles is facing Edmonton in the playoffs for the fourth time in a row this spring, but it’s the first time the Kings will have home-ice advantage for their series against the Oilers. The Kings surged to a 4-0 lead late in the second period in the arena where they had the NHL’s best home record.  That’s when the Oilers woke up and made it a memorable night: Leon Draisaitl, Mattias Janmark and Corey Perry scored before Hyman scored with 2:04 left and McDavid scored an exceptional tying goal with 1:28 remaining.
WATCH | Oilers fans excited for playoffs:
For the fourth straight year, the Edmonton Oilers will face off against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. CBC’s Sam Brooks met up with fans at the Ice District Plaza watch party to see how they’re feeling about this year’s playoff run.
McDavid had a goal and three assists for the Oilers, who reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season. Skinner stopped 24 shots.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
Until Edmonton’s late rally, Kuzmenko was the star. Los Angeles went 0 for 12 on the power play against Edmonton last spring, but the 29-year-old Russian — who has energized the Kings since arriving last month — scored during a man advantage just 2:49 in.
