By Canadian Press

Zach Hyman scored OT winner for Oilers in 5-4 win over Kings to even up series

Apr 23, 2023 | 10:51 PM

LOS ANGELES — Zach Hyman scored the overtime winner for the Edmonton Oilers in a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings to even their first-round playoff series at two wins apiece.

Hyman beat Los Angeles goalie Joonas Korpisalo between the pads 10:39 of overtime for his first goal of the post-season.

Leon Draisaitl scored twice and had an assist for Edmonton to take over the NHL’s playoff points lead at five goals and four assists.

Evan Bouchard contributed a goal and an assist and Evander Kane also scored for the Oilers in the third OT game of the series.

Edmonton captain Connor McDavid had three assists.

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Starter Stuart Skinner was pulled after the opening period when the Kings scored three unanswered goals on 11 shots.

Jack Campbell drew in to turn away 27 of 28 shots in 50 1/2 minutes of relief for the win.

Gabriel Vilardi, Victor Arvidsson, Anze Kopitar and Matt Roy scored for the Kings.

Kevin Fiala had two assists in his first game since April 1 and Philip Danault also contributed a pair of assists. Korpisalo had 37 saves in the loss.

The series flips to Edmonton for Tuesday’s Game 5 and will return to Los Angeles for Saturday’s Game 6.

After a terrible first period, the Oilers revived in the second with three unanswered goals of their own.

Los Angeles regained the lead on Roy’s goal at 4:28 but Kane tied it up again at 16:58 of the third.

Korpisalo out of position gave Kane a wide target for a wrist shot far side.

Arvidsson at the blue line passed to Roy in the slot for the defenceman to go forehand-backhand on Campbell for Roy’s first career playoff goal.

Draisaitl drew a tripping penalty from Fiala in the second period and made the most of it by scoring the equalizer with 10 seconds left.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins down low dished to Draisaitl dropping to his left knee to whip the puck by Korpisalo.

Draisaitl and McDavid were reunited on the same line Sunday. A hard shift by their unit cycling the puck through the offensive zone bore fruit for Edmonton’s second goal at 9:41.

When Kings defenceman Drew Doughty tripped behind the Los Angeles net, McDavid fed Draisaitl in front of the crease to sweep the puck in on Korpisalo’s stick side.

With Alex Edler serving a tripping minor, Bouchard threaded a slapshot from the blue line through traffic over Korpisalo’s glove at 3:13.

Fiala was the Kings’ No. 2 points man behind Kopitar in the regular season. He was scratched the final five games of the regular season and the first three games of this series with a lower-body injury.

But Fiala drew a holding penalty from Edmonton’s Cody Ceci and then beat Darnell Nurse to a loose puck to chip it into open ice for Kopitar.

The Kings’ captain went forehand to backhand on Skinner for a power-play goal at 18:11 of the first period.

Arvidsson struck at 16:48 when the Swedish forward spun away from Oilers defenceman Vincent Desharnais at the blue line to create a scoring lane and beat Skinner with a low wrist shot.

Fiala held off six-foot-six Desharnais to get a shot away on Skinner with Vilardi following up for the rebound at 9:25.

Los Angeles was minus forward Blake Lizotte (lower body) for a second straight game. Mattias Janmark remained out of Edmonton’s lineup after he blocked a shot with his foot in Game 1.

The Oilers played 11 forwards and seven defencemen for a third playoff game.

NOTES: Edmonton’s power play is 6-for-11 and the Kings 5-for-17 in the series … Kopitar’s goal was his sixth point in four playoff games (two goals, four assists) … Kopitar and Doughty tied Dave Taylor for third in all-time career playoff home games for the Kings (43).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2023.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press