Edmonton Oilers

McDavid Unreal as Kings Edge Oilers 6-5 in Wild Game 1 Thriller

McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers fought back against the Los Angeles Kings, only to lose 6-5 in the final seconds.

by
Jim Parsons
April 21, 2025

The Edmonton Oilers stunned the Los Angeles Kings by coming back from a 4-0 deficit to tie the game 5-5. The Kings then stunned the Oilers in the final seconds of the contest with a dramatic 6-5 win in Game 1 after a fanned shot by Phillip Danault found its way past Stuart Skinner. The Kings took a 1-0 series lead in what can only be described as a rollercoaster of a game that might not be matched again in the 2025 NHL playoffs.

The Oilers struggled early, going down 2-0 in the first period. The Kings played a perfect game in the first and second, limiting the Oilers’ shot attempts and taking a 4-0 lead. The Oilers scored one late in the second and then early in the third period to give them life.

Their comeback didn’t hit full gear until the third. Down 5-2 with just over two minutes to play, Corey Perry scored to make it 5-3. About 10 minutes later, Zach Hyman made it 5-4 before Connor McDavid tied the game with 88 seconds left, capping off a four-point night (1G, 3A) in vintage McDavid fashion.

Kings Avoid Overtime With Dagger Late

But just as it looked like the game was headed for overtime, Phillip Danault buried the winner with only 42 seconds remaining. It was a fan on a shot, but Warren Foegele screened Stuart Skinner, and he never saw the slow-motion shot. It was a heartbreaker after the Oilers hit a high.

Danault scores on Skinner Kings Oilers — Danault scores on Stuart Skinner to give Kings a 6-5 win over Oilers

“I’m so happy we won that game, because that would have been a sh—y game to lose,” said Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.

Will Evander Kane Join the Oilers for Game 2?

Elliotte Friedman reported that the NHL has been keeping a close eye on teams using LTIR late into the season. He speculated that Evander Kane and the Oilers might be one of the players the NHL looked at, which could explain Kane’s absence from Game 1. It will be intriguing to see if he gets in for Game 2.

He’ll help on offense, but the Oilers will need to clean up defensively and find more consistency if they want to even the series. Edmonton’s lines were shuffled throughout the night, and defensive lapses proved costly.

Game 1 showed that this could be a long, dramatic series.

Next: Oilers Dodging NHL By Sitting Kane?: Game 1 Roster vs. Kings