Edmonton Oilers take playoff series lead with 6-3 win over Los Angeles Kings

The Edmonton Oilers scored three goals in the first period on the way to a 6-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night at Rogers Place.

The Oilers lead the best-of-seven series at 3-2 and are a win away from advancing to the second round.

“A lot of guys contributed tonight and we’ve had that in the last few games, so if we continue to do that and get good goaltending, systematically I feel like we’re all buying in,” Nick Bjugstad said after the win.

The Oilers’ second power play unit conjured the first goal of the game, with Evander Kane firing a shot post and in.

Less than three minutes later, captain Connor McDavid set up Leon Draisaitl in front for his sixth of the series.

The Kings struck with Alex Iafallo banging in a rebound.

Brett Kulak offered a quick response for the Oilers, finishing off a pass from Ryan McLeod one minute later.

“I put one low for the forwards to go to work and they made a couple of little, nice passing plays, I crept down backdoor and McLeod made a nice pass to me,” Kulak recalled post-game.

The Kings stayed in it with Adrian Kempe roofing a shot on Stuart Skinner late in the first.

Bjugstad made it 4-2 with a deflection goal with 8:11 left in the second.

Joonas Korpisalo was pulled after allowing four goals on 19 shots. Pheonix Copley took over.

The Oilers added one more before the end of the second. Zach Hyman did it the hard way with Evan Bouchard’s power play point shot going in off his face.

“Luckily, Bouch didn’t get all of it,” Hyman said. “If he got all of it, it probably wouldn’t have gone where it went — I’ll take that trade off any day for a goal.”

“That’s the way you score in playoffs,” he continued.

“You get a pretty goal here and there, but a lot of it is going to those tough areas and finding loose change.”

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Bjugstad scored again early in the third when his backhand from a bad angle found its way past Copley.

Quinton Byfield provided a quick reply for L.A. to make the Oilers advantage 6-3.

Skinner made 25 saves after being pulled after one period in Game 4 on Sunday.

“It feels nice being able to go back in and try to redeem myself,” the 24-year-old Edmontonian said.

“I still think I have a lot to give the team. I’ve got a lot better, and it’s huge props to the team in front of me (for) helping me out.”

The Oilers now have a chance in this series to close it out on the road: Game 6 is Saturday in Los Angeles. The game time has not been announced.

A Game 7, if necessary, would be Monday back in Edmonton.

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