The Oilers got their break in Game 3. Now, can they turn this series around?

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EDMONTON — The season was, for all intents and purposes, hanging in the balance for the Edmonton Oilers.

There they were, with less than seven minutes on the clock, trailing the Los Angeles Kings by a goal and by two games in the series. It was about as close to dire straits as they could get until they should be considered all but down and out.

They then benefited from and took advantage of a remarkable sequence that flipped a possible defeat into an eventual 7-4 victory in Game 3, a result that has the potential to save their season.

“A lot of credit to them because there was definitely a time to hit the panic button, but they didn’t,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said of his players.

Evander Kane was in Darcy Kuemper’s crease, fighting for a loose puck, when he knocked it in and raised his arms in triumph. Referee Frederick L’Ecuyer was on the scene and quickly disallowed Kane’s goal, deeming the Oilers winger had kicked the puck into the net.

That call was overturned on video review. L’Ecuyer explained that Kane did indeed kick the puck, but he got his stick on it before it crossed the goal line. The Oilers had tied the game at 13:18 of the third period.

But Kings coach Jim Hiller opted to challenge the goal’s validity, feeling Kane had interfered with Kuemper.

“You’re just sitting there praying that it’ll count,” Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl said.

Draisaitl’s prayers were answered. The goal did count.

The failed challenge also gave the Oilers a man advantage, and just 10 seconds later, Evan Bouchard and Draisaitl connected on a beautiful give-and-go off a rush. Bouchard finished off the play for his second power-play goal of the night.

“When they challenged, you don’t know always with goaltender interference,” Bouchard said. “But when we saw it was a good goal, we knew we had to pounce on them.”

Two empty-netters later by Connor McDavid and Connor Brown, and this one was salted away.

Yet, if Anze Kopitar had been able to tie up Kane’s stick, the goal wouldn’t have counted, and the Kings might have held on to hand the Oilers a backbreaking defeat. If Hiller hadn’t challenged, or they’d been able to thwart the ensuing power play, they might have found another way to win and get the Oilers down to their last breaths.

Instead, they’ve given the Oilers new life just as they’re starting to come around. It’s now on them to ensure they take advantage of their big break.

“It feels good right now to get that win, but it’s not going to do much if we don’t follow it up,” Draisaitl said.

They appear to be in much better shape to do so.

Kane was one of the catalysts in the victory, perhaps the linchpin. Friday was just his second game of the 2024-25 campaign after missing more than 10 months following abdominal and knee surgeries.

His season debut in Game 2 was “just fine,” as Knoblauch put it. He wasn’t noticeable other than taking a needless penalty on Brandt Clarke, which led to Clarke’s goal on a Kings power play.

Kane’s follow-up performance was him at or near his best. He had four shots on goal on eight attempts and made five hits. He got in on the forecheck and set up Brown for the third Oilers’ goal.

Of course, there was also the tying goal.

“He’s one in a million. It’s unbelievable what he’s able to do when the lights are on,” Brown said, laughing. “Kaner’s incredible.

“I missed a full season (in 2022-23) and it took me about 60 games to score (last season). It took him six periods.”

Kane’s Game 3 performance exemplified an Oilers team reviving itself in real time. He was part of a large group of players who missed considerable time down the stretch. All the formerly walking wounded, to borrow a phrase from McDavid, are starting to round into form.

Trent Frederic missed the better part of eight weeks with an ankle injury before playing in Game 1. Though he was in a fourth-line role on Friday, Frederic showed his most jump yet in 10:24 of work.

John Klingberg is up to 12 games as an Oiler after appearing in the last two postseason contests. He’d previously gotten into just one game in five weeks. Klingberg’s playoff work has been his best yet. He might be the team’s No. 5 defenceman right now.

Zach Hyman and Jake Walman both missed time down the stretch and continue to show signs of progress. Draisaitl, who sat out 11 of the last 14 games with an injury, has two goals and five points in the series after a pair of helpers in Game 3.

“We have lots of guys that haven’t played a lot,” Draisaitl said. “I’ll put myself into that group as well. Sometimes, it takes a little bit. This is intense hockey right off the bat. We don’t have much time, but however long we can drag it out is certainly in our favour.”

“I think we’ll only get better,” Brown said.

Of course, the difference between 2-1 and 3-0 deficits is massive. One’s a hole. The other’s a canyon. The Oilers aren’t in this without that zany third-period swing.

“I loved our guys’ effort,” Knoblauch said. “I like that we can stick with it. We’re going to need that mentality going forward.”

It was a wild game between the two teams. The Oilers blew a 2-0 lead (their first edge of the series). Trevor Moore restored a Kings’ advantage nine seconds after Brown tied the game in the second period. Calvin Pickard got the start over Stuart Skinner and allowed four goals.

All that happened before the frenetic ending.

It was a different take on Game 1. The Oilers stormed back in that one with three straight late third-period goals, two of them with the goalie pulled, only to surrender Phillip Danault’s game-winner on the next shift and in the last minute.

These teams know each other so well that a more buttoned-up style should have been on display in this series. Instead, there have been 30 goals scored and plenty of odd momentum swings.

“I’m a little bit surprised that there is so much fluctuation in the game that there has been,” Knoblauch said. “It’s just the way it’s worked out.”

It didn’t work out earlier in the series for the Oilers, and could have done them in.

It sure worked out on Friday, though. It just might give them the break they so desperately needed.

“Fortunately, tonight was on our side,” Draisaitl said. “We’re looking to follow it up.”

(Photo: Codie McLachlan / Getty Images)

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