In a game that was an emotional roller coaster for the Edmonton Oilers the Los Angeles Kings eventually come out victorious and have tied the series at one as the series will now head to Los Angeles for games 3 and 4.
After falling behind 3-1 after the first period the Oilers rallied back into the game in the second scoring two goals and tied the game at 3 heading into the third period. In the third period, each team was able to score once and then the game headed off to overtime. It was a short and sour OT for OIlers fans. Just over 2 minutes in Anze Kopitar got free on a breakaway and made no mistake beating Skinner and causing the series to head to LA tied.
In my article yesterday I noted that if the Oilers scored the first goal they would run away with the game like they did game one. Credit to the Kings they came out and looked like they wanted to win this game more than the Oilers. After the two goals from the Kings, you could tell the Oilers woke up a bit and were able to get back to playing their game.
There are a couple of plays some players would like back, but that can be said even after the first game a game where the Oilers did win. Some players stepped up in this game and countered the players who had some struggles.
Dylan Holloway played what was his most impactful game as an Oiler, scoring two goals on two shots. His first goal got the Edmonton Oilers rolling in the second where they were able to tie the game back up. His second goal tied the game in the third and helped force overtime.
Series Shift To Los Angeles For Game 3
Home ice advantage isn't as big a factor for the Kings as it was for the Edmonton Oilers this regular season. The Kings' record on the road is 22-15-4 and their record at home is 22-12-7, so they're almost the same on the road as at home. The advantage for the Kings is the Oilers are worse on the road than at home. With a 28-9-4 record at home, it slides down to 21-18-2 on the road for the Oilers.
While it is disappointing that the Oilers lost last night, I didn't and I didn't see most people pick the Oilers to sweep, so the Oilers did have to lose once. Moving forward the Oilers need to go back to playing their game for the full 60 minutes and they will have nothing to worry about moving forward.