Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoff series between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings did not disappoint — in fact, it far exceeded expectations. After their 6-5 victory, sealed by a game-winning goal in the dying seconds, forward Phillip Danault shared a crucial lesson with his teammates following their dramatic NHL showdown against Connor McDavid and the Oilers.
The Kings squandered a 4-0 lead in their opening game against the Oilers. Edmonton battled back from a 5-2 deficit to tie the game at 5-5. However, jubilation was short-lived for McDavid and his team, as Danault netted the game-winner less than a minute after McDavid had brought Edmonton level.
It was utter heartbreak for McDavid and the visiting team. The Oilers had fought their way back to safety, only to collapse agonizingly on the shores of Santa Monica. On the other end of the ice, the Kings breathed a deep sigh of relief, though they were sent off with a warning: no lead is truly safe when McDavid, Draisaitl, and the Oilers loom.
Danault was the best player for the Kings during the pivotal Game 1 triumph, scoring a brace to help Los Angeles secure the series opener. After the game, the 32-year-old center voiced a powerful reminder to his teammates.
Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers reacts against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period in Game One of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
“That was a little bit scary,” Kings forward Phillip Danault commented postgame, via NHL.com. “There were ups and downs, we were up 4-0 and they come back. We know they have an offensive machine and we have to learn from this and move on.”
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Overconfident or overpowered?
A win is a win, and the Kings will have no regrets after taking a 1-0 series lead over the Oilers. However, blowing a commanding lead late in the third period is an impossible-to-miss red flag—a clear recipe for disaster. They’ll need to address the issues that led to their collapse, though opinions differ.
“It’s not ideal how it happened,” young star Quinton Byfield admitted. “We let our guard down a little bit and it’s a great team over there and they have world-class players. No lead is safe in the playoffs, and they’re never going to stop going and it happened, and it was a big goal for us there. When you’re up 4-0, we have to do a better job of closing that game off, but a win’s a win and we’ll take that.”
The Captain’s thoughts
While Byfield acknowledged that the Kings got a bit too relaxed, veteran Anze Kopitar, who has captained the franchise since the 2016-17 NHL season, believes the Oilers’ comeback wasn’t entirely due to LA’s mistakes.
“I don’t think we took the foot off the gas,” Kings captain Anze Kopitar said. “That’s a high offense powered team over there and when you give them a sniff, they’ll take it, and they certainly did. Obviously, being up 4-0 and 4-1 going into the third period, we want to make sure we lock it down and not make it too interesting like we did tonight.”
Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings looks on against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at the United Center on March 03, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
Positive trend
The Kings secured the opening game of the series, which, based on the last three playoff meetings between the two franchises, signifies a huge step toward advancing to the next round.
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The Oilers and Kings are meeting for the fourth consecutive time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Edmonton emerging victorious in the previous three years. In each of those matchups, the Oilers won Game 1. However, with LA finally prevailing in the first game this time, they can confidently believe they have the chance to break the curse and reach the second round.
