
Mattias Janmark's goal sends dominant Oilers past Kings 3-1. They take a 3-2 series lead to Edmonton
Mattias Janmark scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 Tuesday night for their third consecutive victory and a 3-2 lead in their first-round series.
Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored and Calvin Pickard made 20 saves for the defending Western Conference champion Oilers, who can advance with a win in Game 6 in Edmonton on Thursday.
Edmonton was finally rewarded for dominating possession and shots throughout Game 5 when Janmark converted a rebound of Viktor Arvidsson's shot with 12:48 to play.
After some fraught final moments, Nugent-Hopkins added an empty-net goal to finish the Oilers' franchise-record third consecutive comeback playoff victory.
"I think the feeling was really there after the first period that we're outplaying 'em, we got them where we want, and now we've just got to push," Janmark said. "Keep pushing the gas. And even when they scored, just try to get back, and Kaner got it right back, and away we went."
Andrei Kuzmenko scored and Darcy Kuemper stopped 43 shots for the second-seeded Kings, who are one loss away from their fourth consecutive first-round playoff exit at Edmonton's hands despite winning the first two games at home and holding third-period leads in the next two. Los Angeles led in the final minute of Game 4 before losing in overtime.
After a slow start, the Oilers have tilted the series decidedly in their favor. Edmonton has outshot the Kings 79-35 since the start of the third period of Game 4.
"They executed way better than us tonight," Kings coach Jim Hiller said. "They were stronger. They beat us in every area of the game, except for the special teams, oddly enough. The goaltender was great for us to give us a chance. They were just better in every way. We can't look to one part of our game and think that was acceptable."
Kuemper made 19 saves in the first period, and Los Angeles went ahead early in the second when Kuzmenko tipped home captain Anze Kopitar's shot during a power play. Kuzmenko recorded his sixth point of the postseason and his 23rd point in 27 games since joining the Kings less than two months ago.
The Oilers answered less than three minutes later with Kane's goal from the slot. Kane went unpunished later in the period for a knee-on-knee hit on Kings scoring leader Adrian Kempe.
Edmonton's 33 shots in the first two periods were the most allowed all season by Los Angeles, which was shut down after scoring 19 goals in the first four games of the series.
"We wanted to be desperate, like we were in the third period and overtime the last game," Pickard said. "And we did it for 60 minutes."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lakers Face 'Pressure' to Make Big Moves Around Luka Doncic
Lakers Face 'Pressure' to Make Big Moves Around Luka Doncic originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Los Angeles Lakers made a massive move when they added star Luka Doncic ahead of the NBA trade deadline, and one insider believes they will need more moves to keep Doncic happy with the direction of the franchise. Advertisement The Athletic's Jovan Buha said he expects the Lakers to make some big additions this summer before Doncic's extension date, saying the team is facing "pressure" to show their commitment to building a contender. Buha noted that Doncic was coming off an NBA Finals appearance with the Dallas Mavericks last season, but this year had an early playoff exit as the Lakers were upset by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. That gives the Lakers more urgency to bolster their roster and express their commitment to the future, he said. "The Luka factor and the fact that Luka's extension date is a month into free agency ... that's something that, if you're the Lakers, there should be some level of urgency, some level of pressure to find the center of the future or to at least upgrade the roster enough to appease Luka," Buha said. Buha added that the Lakers aren't close to filling out a roster as complete as the Oklahoma City Thunder, but will still make moves with urgency to build a team that can contend for titles now and through the immediate future. Los Angeles Lakers stars Luka Doncic (77) and LeBron James (23).Screen Capture With Doncic having control over whether he signs the contract extension, the Lakers will face pressure to prove that they are serious about building around him, Buha said. Advertisement "I think there is still an element of urgency and pressure with the Lakers and how they build this roster this summer," Buha said. "You also have LeBron [James], who's going to be 41, and you're 23. So you still have potential only a one to two-year window with this core with Luka, LeBron, and Austin [Reaves], so you have to try to maximize that." Related: LeBron James Update From Lakers Insider Sparks Trade Talk This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Sparks Send Strong Message to Kelsey Plum on Monday
Sparks Send Strong Message to Kelsey Plum on Monday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kelsey Plum has another milestone under her belt. The Los Angeles Sparks went against the Golden State Valkyries at Arena in Los Angeles on Monday evening. Tied at the end of the fourth quarter with a score of 78, Golden State's Janelle Salaun led the charge with 18 points and hauled in six rebounds. For the Sparks, Dearica Hamby scored 20 points, while Plum, with 24 points, contributed seven assists. Advertisement In the middle of the game, which the Valkyries won 89-81, the Sparks' official X account posted Plum's latest achievement. "KP is dishing it out!" the Sparks posted on X. "Congrats to @Kelseyplum10 on earning 1,000 career assists." Originally from Poway, California, Plum starred at the University of Washington from 2013 to 2017 and became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer with 3,527 points. Throughout her college basketball career, she earned major awards including the Naismith, Wooden, Wade, USBWA and Nancy Lieberman trophies, as well as Pac‑12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors. Advertisement Drafted No. 1 overall in 2017 by the San Antonio Stars, Plum spent her early WNBA seasons struggling but rebounded impressively after a 2020 Achilles injury. She won Sixth Player of the Year in 2021 and became a three‑time All‑Star in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons, earning All‑Star Game MVP in 2022 and securing back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023 with the Las Vegas Aces. LA Sparks guard Kelsey Plum (10)© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Plum joined the Sparks earlier this year, acquired through free agency. Plum and the Sparks will be going against the Aces on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT. Related: Los Angeles Sparks Cut Two of Cameron Brink's Teammates on Friday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.

Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Three takeaways: Fights, penalties take over Game 3, Ekblad shines in Panthers rout of Oilers
The Florida Panthers played their best game of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night in Sunrise. Florida took an early lead and kept their foot on the gas, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 in Game 3 and taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Advertisement What turned out to be a great night for the Panthers was anything but for Edmonton. As the game continued to get away from them, the Oilers resorted to dishing out some questionable hits resulting in the expected fisticuffs. At one point during the third period, every non-goalie player on the ice was fighting. It will be interesting to see how the two teams respond to a game like this, because it's far from what we saw in Edmonton during Games 1 and 2. Let's get to the Game 3 takeaways: PENALTY-FEST Well before the game got out of hand and the misconducts starting piling up, the Panthers and Oilers played a first period that saw more special teams play than even strength. Advertisement A total of eight minor penalties were called during the opening 20 minutes, yet only one power play goal was scored. By the time the dust settled on the night, officials had called a total of 140 penalty minutes. Edmonton finished 1-for-6 on the power play while Florida scored three times while up a man on a whopping 11 opportunities. To his credit, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice seemed to downplay the amount of penalties that were called. 'Most of those weren't important, right?' Maurice said. 'The last important ones were around the nine minute mark of the third period. Still, I watched that Vancouver-Dallas game where (Vancouver) scored three goals in a minute, so there's still a hockey game there at the nine minute mark, then we go into the power play. So all the ones after that don't matter.' Advertisement GLOVES WERE DROPPED Generally, you don't often see fights in the Stanley Cup Final. That's what made the third period of Game 3 so strange to see play out. Not only were there multiple fights, but at one point, everyone on the ice not wearing goalie gear was tied up with someone. The Oilers definitely lost their cool during that period. There is no arguing that. But even in moments of such anger and hostility, there is a camaraderie in how the players will stick up for their teammates that makes it pretty cool to see, especially with two teams as tight as the Panthers and Oilers. 'I think you're going to get that answer from any team in the National Hockey League that's playing in June, or we're not here. Both teams,' Maurice said. 'There's so much passion in the game, by the time you've gone on this journey, Edmonton and Florida I believe are the two teams that have been on the longest journey for the last three years. We've both been through it, right? So both teams are going to stick up for each other. They care about each other. The core is pretty much the same for both teams. The drivers of the team are the same for the last three years, so we'll always have each other's back.' Advertisement EKBLAD SHINES The first couple games of the Stanley Cup Final were a little rough on Florida's top defensive pairing. Both Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling struggled during Game 1 and finished a combined minus-4 with no points and just one shot on goal apiece. Game 2 saw Forsling bounce back in a big way, making several spectacular defensive players, breaking up opportunities for Edmonton left and right, and in some very big moments. Ekblad was steady in Game 2, but boy did he look good in Game 3. The smooth skating blueliner appeared more comfortable on Monday night, finishing with a goal on three shots and a plus-1 rating to go with five hits and six penalty minutes. Advertisement 'I thought he was all energy in the first two games,' said Maurice. 'He was covering a lot of ice, and tonight, I thought he was perfectly focused on the game. He was still doing it, but defined in the areas (like) when he was pinching. I thought he played a really smart, veteran game. He's a physical player. He can close the gap now. It's all part of that, Seth Jones and Aaron Ekblad, both of these guys came into the league as offensive players, but there's quite a bit more to their game than that, and (with) Aaron, that's on full display now.' LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers earn strong home victory in Game 3, take first series lead of Stanley Cup Final Panthers' Paul Maurice Makes Hilarious Aleksander Barkov Joke Advertisement 3 Panthers Who Must Shine In Game 3 vs. Oilers Panthers Reveal Lineup Changes For Game 3 vs. Oilers Major Panthers-Sam Bennett Free Agency Update Revealed Photo caption: Jun 9, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; A fight breaks out during the third period between Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers in game three of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)