Trevor Moore scored the overtime winner for the Los Angeles Kings in a 3-2 win over the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Friday to lead their first-round playoff series two games to one.
The goal was reviewed, which had both teams hovering by their benches until it was confirmed and Crypto.com Arena erupted again.
WATCH | Controversial OT goal lifts Kings over Oilers in Game 3:
Trevor Moore scored in the first overtime to give the Los Angeles Kings a 3-2 win, but celebrations were halted while the play was reviewed, to try to determine whether Kings forward Gabriel Vilardi touched the puck with a high stick before the goal was scored.
Alex Iafallo and Adrian Kempe also scored for the Kings, who have gone 13-2-2 at home since the NHL all-star break.
Los Angeles goaltender Joonas Korpisalo posted a third straight playoff outing of over 30 saves with a series-high 38 on Friday.
Oilers’ captain and NHL leading scorer Connor McDavid’s two power-play goals were his first of the post-season. Skinner stopped 28 shots in the loss.
The Kings took the opener 4-3 in OT — the game-winner was also a power-play goal — followed by the Oilers’ 4-2 win at Rogers Place in Game 2.
Forward Mattias Janmark remained out of Edmonton’s lineup after taking a shot off the foot in Game 1, so the Oilers continued a configuration of seven defencemen and 11 forwards.
Blake Lizotte, who dressed for the first two games of the series, was scratched from the Kings lineup because of a lower-body injury. He was replaced by Jaret Dolan-Anderson.
Los Angeles remained minus Kevin Fiala, who was the Kings’ No. 2 in points behind Anze Kopitar during the regular season. Fiala has yet to play in the series.
A goal-free third period forced overtime for the second time in three games to start the series.
Edmonton’s two power-play goals on four chances had the Oilers four-for-eight so far this series. The Kings scored twice on five opportunities Friday and were four-for-15.
An Oilers’ offensive-zone turnover turned into a two-on-zero for the Kings’ Viktor Arvidsson and Philip Danault later in the period, but Skinner denied the pair on their give-and-go.
Arvidsson whipped the puck up ice and off the corner boards for Kempe to corral and blast a slapshot under Skinner’s glove to knot the score 2-2.
McDavid scored twice from the same spot on the ice just above the hash marks to Korpisalo’s right. He went bar-down with a laser far side at 7:42 and whipped another shot high short-side at 8:20.
TWO FOR MCDAVID! ✌️<br><br>Connor McDavid (<a href=”https://twitter.com/cmcdavid97?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@cmcdavid97</a>) picks up his first two goals of the 2023 <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/StanleyCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#StanleyCup</a> Playoffs just 1:40 apart!<br><br>🇺🇸: <a href=”https://twitter.com/NHL_On_TNT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@NHL_On_TNT</a> ➡️ <a href=”https://t.co/LaJpv7c3yx”>https://t.co/LaJpv7c3yx</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLonTNT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NHLonTNT</a><br>🇨🇦: <a href=”https://twitter.com/Sportsnet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Sportsnet</a> ➡️ <a href=”https://t.co/uEVY6yXLpz”>https://t.co/uEVY6yXLpz</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLonSN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NHLonSN</a> <a href=”https://t.co/L96qJINHwz”>pic.twitter.com/L96qJINHwz</a>
—@NHL
The Kings scored the first goal for the first time in the series with Game 1 overtime hero Iaffalo striking with 32 seconds left in the opening period.
When Iafallo tipped Matt Roy’s long floater from just inside the blue-line, the puck hit Skinner’s chest and flopped onto the ice for Iafallo to sweep in his own rebound.
The host Kings didn’t convert a four-on-three early in the first period with Edmonton’s two top defencemen in the penalty box. Mattias Eckholm cross-checked Kopitar after Darnell Nurse tripped Arvidsson.
Nurse and Arvidsson clipped their left skates together on the fly, which sent the latter flipping in the air.
Arvidsson was assessed a minor for throwing his stick. The Swedish winger left the ice favouring his left leg, but was back on the ice later in the period.