On an unfortunate night for hockey star Leon Draisaitl, the Edmonton Oilers suffered a bitter defeat in the NHL playoffs.
In the third game of the first round series against the Los Angeles Kings, the team around the German international lost 3-2 away after extra time. In the best-of-seven series, the Canadians are now 1:2 behind again.
The Oilers initially fell behind through Alex Iafallo (20′), then Connor McDavid (28’/30′) hit back with a power play brace. Draisaitl prepared the 2:1, but immediately received a serious time penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Adrian Kempe equalized just 18 seconds later.
“We can definitely be smarter. I got an unnecessary penalty, that’s my mistake,” said the frustrated Draisaitl, but also criticized the referee’s line: “I don’t really know what the standard is right now.”
Since both teams failed to score in the third round, the game went into overtime. Again outnumbered, Trevor Moore became the match winner after 3:24 minutes because his goal stood after long video evidence. The Kings also have home advantage in game four on Monday night.
It was clearer for the New York Islanders, who defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 and thus shortened the series to 1-2. With four goals in just 2:18 minutes, the Islanders broke a 79-year-old record in the Stanley Cup playoffs in the final third.
Minnesota Wild also beat the Dallas Stars 5-1 to lead 2-1. The Boston Bruins also made it 2-1 with a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers.