- What: NHL Western Conference Playoffs First Round Game 2
- When: April 23, 2025
- Who: Edmonton Oilers vs. LA Kings
- Time: 7:00 p.m. PST
- Where: Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, CA)
The Edmonton Oilers will face the LA Kings in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena. The puck will drop at 7 p.m. PST.
The Kings lead the series 1-0 after a surprising Game 1, where they scored first with Andrei Kuzmenko’s power-play goal. Quinton Byfield added another goal, giving LA a 2-0 lead after the first period.
The Kings went up 4-0 in the second period with goals from Adrian Kempe and Phillip Danault, but Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl responded with a late goal to make it 4-1.
The third period saw a flurry of goals, including Mattias Janmark cutting the lead to 4-2 and Kevin Fiala restoring a three-goal lead for LA.
When the Kings seemed secure, Corey Perry scored, narrowing it to 5-3. In a shocking turn, Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid tied the game 5-5 in the dying moments.
However, Danault netted his second goal with 42 seconds left, sealing the Kings’ win and generating memes about the incident, much to Stuart Skinner’s dismay.
This is the fourth consecutive playoff meeting between the Oilers and Kings, and it promises to be the most exciting yet.
The matchup features Stuart Skinner (26-18-4, 2.81 GAA, .896 SV%, 3 SO) against Darcy Kuemper (31-11-7, 2.02 GAA, .922 SV%, 5 SO).
Skinner ended the regular season strong, including a shutout against San Jose, but struggled in Game 1, allowing six goals on 30 shots. Criticism arose as he appeared out of position on several plays.
Kuemper had a solid regular season against the Oilers, including a shutout, but he also allowed five goals in Game 1 on 25 shots, raising concerns.
Betting odds increased from 5.5 goals for the series opener after an explosive Game 1 with 11 total goals.
Historically, the first three meetings ended with the Under hitting, but playoff dynamics can differ from the regular season. This one feels like it will be a high-scoring showdown between the Oilers and the Kings.
Best Bet: Over 6 goals at -102 odds
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
