Oilers get 2 quick goals in 3rd, rally past Kings in Game 3

EDMONTON -- Evander Kane and Evan Bouchard scored 10 seconds apart in the third period, and the Edmonton Oilers rallied for a 7-4 win against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Place on Friday.

Kane tied it 4-4 at 13:18 of the third period. He kicked a loose puck off Darcy Kuemper, who was sprawled on the ice and out of position, before jamming it under the goalie during a scramble in the crease.

The Kings challenged the play for goaltender interference, but the call stood after a video review, resulting in a delay of game penalty.

“We got a good look at it, we took plenty of time, and we felt it was goalie interference. So, we challenged it,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose on those, and tonight, we lost and it cost us big time. No other way around it.”

Just 10 seconds into the ensuing power play, Bouchard gave Edmonton a 5-4 lead when he finished a give-and-go with Leon Draisaitl at the right side of the net.

“I shot the puck into the net and knew it was just a matter of them seeing the replay,” Kane said. “It felt good, and then they challenged it. You never know what can happen in those situations, but it was a good boost for our team and an important goal.

“Then the power play goes out and does its thing. It’s a big win for our group and hopefully gives us some momentum going into Game 4, and we’ll have a chance to hold serve on home ice.”

Connor McDavid (18:20) and Connor Brown (19:52) each scored an empty-net goal for the 7-4 final.

Los Angeles leads the best-of-7 series 2-1. Game 4 will be here on Sunday (9:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TBS, truTV, MAX, FDSNW).

"We’re going to forget about this game. We didn’t play poorly, there’s no doubt in my mind about that,” Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. “They had a good game, they played well, too, but we have to move on and get to the next game."

McDavid had a goal and two assists, Brown and Bouchard each scored two goals, and Kane had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who are the No. 3 seed from the Pacific Division. Draisaitl had two assists, and Calvin Pickard made 24 saves in his first start of the series.

“Calvin again finds a way to get another victory,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He's been doing that a lot in 2025, finding ways to win. He made some really key saves in the third period. ... I thought Calvin was very solid."

Doughty, Adrian Kempe and Trevor Moore each had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who are the No. 2 seed from the Pacific Division. Kuemper made 29 saves.

“In any sport you have to (move on)," Doughty said. "I’ve been through a lot of highs and a lot of lows. I’ve learned to keep it more even-keeled, and I think our squad is good at doing that as well. We’ll be ready for the next one.”

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins put the Oilers ahead 1-0 at 2:49 of the first period, scoring from in tight past Kuemper’s blocker after receiving a spinning pass from Zach Hyman.

Bouchard made it 2-0 on a power play at 8:43. Draisaitl won a face-off in the left circle back to Bouchard, who skated just above the circles before scoring blocker side with a slap shot through a screen.

Kempe cut the lead to 2-1 at 17:18 of the first. During a 4-on-4, he took a cross-ice pass in the left circle from Doughty and roofed a shot over Pickard’s glove for his fourth goal of the series.

Kevin Fiala tied it 2-2 at 5:43 of the second period, scoring a power-play goal with a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Pickard glove side.

Doughty scored another power-play goal to put Los Angeles in front 3-2 at 15:07. He sent a wrist shot from the point through traffic and past Pickard’s glove.

Brown tied it 3-3 at 17:19, taking a centering pass from along the goal line from Kane and chipping the puck past Kuemper’s glove.

Moore responded nine seconds later to give the Kings a 4-3 lead. He warded off Oilers defenseman Jake Walman as he skated down the right wing before flicking a shot through Pickard's five-hole with one hand on his stick.

“You never really want to give up however many goals we’ve given up in the past three games (the Kings have outscored the Oilers 16-14 in the series), but we found a way to win and we’re going to have to tighten up going forward," Bouchard said.

NOTES: The goals 10 seconds apart by Kane and Bouchard are tied for the fourth-fastest in Oilers history. ... McDavid is the fourth player in Oilers history to record at least 20 three-point playoff games. The others: Wayne Gretzky (39), Jari Kurri (26) and Mark Messier (22). ... Kempe is the fifth player in Kings history to begin a postseason with a three-game goal streak. The others: Gretzky (four games in 1991), Dustin Brown (three games in 2012), Jimmy Carson (three games in 1988) and Daryl Evans (three games in 1982).