For the first time in four seasons of the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers in Round 1, Game 1 was played in downtown Los Angeles. The best team in the NHL at home all season long took advantage of home ice in what was a rather ugly win. Despite the Kings having a 4-0 and 5-2 lead at points in the game, it took until the very last second for them to breathe a sigh of relief, barely squeaking by the Oilers 6-5, in Game 1. Game Recap Making the most of special teams against the Oilers is always crucial, and just over two minutes into the game, the Kings had the opportunity to showcase just how much their power play has improved over the last few months. The Kings opted to run with their five-forward unit right away, and it paid dividends as Kevin Fiala found Andrei Kuzmenko wide-open at the side of the net to open the scoring. It was Kuzmenko’s first-ever playoff goal in his first-ever playoff game. The Kings tallied one more before the first period came to a close. With 33 seconds left to play, Quinton Byfield grabbed a rebound out of mid-air before quickly throwing it back toward the net, banking it in off Stuart Skinner from below the goal line to give the Kings a 2-0 lead. A solid first 20 minutes from the Kings translated into complete domination in the second period, as they increased their lead to four. Relentless pressure from the Kings’ top line resulted in Adrian Kempe all alone to make a move on Skinner in the slot. He made one quick move to the backhand and gave the Kings a 3-0 lead. Less than three minutes later, the Kings made it 4-0. Evan Bouchard carelessly threw the puck out to the slot, where Phillip Danault grabbed it and ripped one past Skinner. Los Angeles Kings celebrate a goal scored by Phillip Danault during a game between the Los Angeles Kings game versus the Edmonton Oilers in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (Photo by Rob Curtis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Just before the second period ended, the Oilers finally got on the board. To no one’s surprise, it was the magic of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl that was able to break through. McDavid fought off Kopitar before sending a cross-ice pass over to Draisaitl, who buried the one-timer. In what seemed to be a game in which the Kings were comfortably in the driver’s seat, it completely slipped away as the Oilers came through with a four-goal third period. Riding the momentum gained at the end of the second, Mattias Janmark cut the Kings’ lead to two, just over two minutes into the third. Shortly after, the Kings capitalized on a short 5-on-3 after both Zach Hyman and Jake Walman took penalties. Right off the draw, Kempe fed Fiala in his sweet spot near the top of the right circle, and he made no mistake finishing the one-timer to restore the Kings’ lead to three. It was the McDavid show from there on out as he single-handedly took over the game, with a goal and two primary assists. McDavid set up Corey Perry right in the slot, fed Hyman a cross-crease pass right in front of the net, and then went on to do it all by himself to tie the game at five. McDavid went through two Kings before driving to the net and tucking one five-hole past Darcy Kuemper, with just over 1:30 left to go. The Kings were on the verge of an epic collapse, allowing the Oilers to get themselves back into the game, before Danault decided to double-dip with 41 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Kings the all-important game-winning goal. Moore gained the zone before stopping up and putting one on a tee for Danault. He fanned on it, and the puck fluttered in the air before making its way up and over Skinner. The Kings held on to take a 1-0 series lead in dramatic fashion. Game 2 is set for Wednesday, April 23, at Crypto.com Arena.