Oilers crush Kings to claim 3-2 series lead

The Edmonton Oilers have claimed their first lead in their 2023 first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. To get to this 3-2 series lead, the Oilers finally proved they can protect a lead against a Kings team that rarely relents, seeing out a 6-3 win in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Nick Bjugstad scored twice, while Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, Zach Hyman and Brett Kulak each added a goal of their own. Connor McDavid registered a pair of helpers, and Stuart Skinner made 25 saves to earn the win.

The Oilers will have a chance to finish this series in Los Angeles in Game 6, but if fatigue is a factor for Edmonton, they can take heed in getting a breather until that showdown on Saturday.

The Kings may need that time, too, to find answers after the Oilers have shown signs of truly pulling away in what’s otherwise been a back-and-forth series.

Korpisalo gets yanked

Down 3-0 to the Kings in Game 4, the Oilers pulled Stuart Skinner in favour of deposed starter Jack Campbell. While Campbell “battled it” at times there, he made 27 out of 28 saves to steady Edmonton, helping the Oilers pull off a comeback OT win.

Credit Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft with the courage to go back to Skinner, who was mostly fine in Game 5.

It’s easiest to keep that description vague, as it was the Kings’ goaltending under the microscope in Game 5.

Did the Oilers solve Joonas Korpisalo with that Game 4 rally? Such discussions can sometimes lean too heavily on retrofitting explanations and reading too much into things. Whether it’s coincidence or finding a weakness, the Oilers have been lighting up the scoreboard lately after Korpisalo kept things close earlier in the series.

Starting with the rally from the second period of Game 4, Karpisalo allowed five goals in about two and a half periods. A bit more than halfway through Game 5, Korpisalo got the hook after giving up four goals on 19 shots. That’s nine goals given up in a bit more than four periods of work.

In a way, it might be easier to stomach all of that if Korpisalo was totally to blame. Via a small sample in relief, Pheonix Copley didn’t enjoy much better luck.

Oilers power play remains red-hot

Heading into Game 5, the Oilers scored six power-play goals on just 11 opportunities, translating to an outstanding success rate of 54.6 percent, even better than their historic 2022-23 season (a brilliant 32.36 percent). With two PPGs in Game 5, that pushes Edmonton to a daunting eight power-play goals already this postseason. By cashing in on two of three in Game 5, that man advantage is now clicking at a 57.14 percent rate.

Last year, the Oilers scored seven power-play goals on 19 power-play chances (36.8 percent). That’s a heck of a rate, yet they’ve been even hotter this time around.

Connor McDavid serves as the biggest, if most obvious, riddle. His elusiveness, speed and timing combine to constantly change angles for goalies and defenders when it comes to accounting for his increasingly dangerous shot, and his vaunted playmaking. Additionally, that skating ability may detract from more aggressive “power kill” type strategies.

Beyond that, the Oilers surround McDavid with high-level weapons. Of course, Leon Draisaitl is the most obvious partner to form a 1-2 punch, as he’s also an elite passer and shooter. This team keeps stacking on other advantages, too. Instead of being a downgrade from Tyson Barrie on the power play, Evan Bouchard seems to make them even more dangerous — and keeps teams “honest” with the threat of his shot.

Then you have a player who can create havoc with his body in front of the goalie in Zach Hyman, who will hope to score in less painful ways going forward after his unorthodox tally in Game 5.

Bouchard joins McDavid, Draisaitl in making playoff history

Speaking of Evan Bouchard, by generating an assist, he now has eight points already in this series. Reaching that many points in a single series makes Bouchard the second Oilers defenceman to generate 8+ points in a single series, joining Paul Coffey. Coffey reached that mark four different times, including a series where he stacked up a gaudy 14 points.

As the above tweet notes, Bouchard is also in rarified air by becoming the third Oilers defenceman to begin a playoff run with a point streak of at least five games.

Meanwhile, McDavid continued his recent trend of reaching milestones just a touch behind Draisaitl, this time needing just 42 games to reach 40+ assists (while Draisaitl remarkably got there in 37).

McDavid and Co. will look to bury the Kings — and the series — in Game 6 at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.