Edmonton Oilers' Sam Gagner, 89, scores the winning goal against Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick during overtime NHL hockey action in Edmonton, Alta., on Thursday January 24, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson.
January 24, 2013 - 9:49 PM
EDMONTON - Sam Gagner scored the winner 3:01 into overtime as the Edmonton Oilers staged a dramatic rally to keep the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings winless with a wild 2-1 victory on Thursday.
Gagner snuck in from the point to score on the power play after the Kings were caught with too many men on the ice.
Nail Yakupov scored for the Oilers (2-1) with 4.7 seconds left in the third period. His exuberant celebration took him to centre ice where he dropped to his knees and slid into Edmonton's defensive zone.
Jeff Carter scored the lone goal for the Kings (0-2-1), who are off to their first winless start to the season after three games since the 1985-86 season.
There was a crazy finish to regulation time in this one.
Edmonton looked to have tied it with 1:05 left on a goal by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins but after video review the officials ruled that Gagner was in the crease and the goal was not counted. Irate fans littered the ice with debris as they felt Rob Scuderi had pushed Gagner into Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick on the play.
However, the Oilers were able to draw even with just 4.7 seconds remaining to send it to extra time as Yakupov was able to bat down a rebound at the side of the net for his second of the season with Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk on the bench for the extra attacker.
The game started much slower than it ended. The Kings had a good opportunity early in the game with a two-man advantage for two minutes, but couldn't capitalize despite twice hitting the post behind Dubnyk.
Los Angeles had nothing but power play chances in the first half of the opening frame, however they shot blanks and went 0-5 with the man advantage.
After weathering the storm, the Oilers were awarded a two-man power play of their own, yet also couldn't find the back of the net against Quick in the Kings net.
The shots favoured Edmonton 14-8 in the scoreless first.
The Oilers had a chance to get the game's first goal six minutes into the second period on a two-on-one but Quick robbed Yakupov with a huge glove save.
Los Angeles finally broke the scoreless tie with six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second period as a giveaway by Edmonton defender Nick Schultz allowed Carter to get loose on a breakaway and he made the most of it, beating Dubnyk high to the stick side for his first goal of the season.
Dubnyk earned the win with 30 saves, while Quick stopped 37 shots for the Kings.
Notes: It was the first of three meetings between the two teams this season. The clubs split their four-game series in 2011-12… The Kings brought an eight- game point streak in Edmonton into the contest, having gone 7-0-1 in that span since a regulation loss at Rexall Place on Feb. 28, 2008… L.A. came into the game having gone 0-2 on the power play in its first two games… The Oilers were without forward Ben Eager, out indefinitely with a concussion. Also out for Edmonton were Andy Sutton (knee), Theo Peckham (hip flexor), Ryan Jones (eye) and Nikolai Khabibulin (hip)… Kings defenceman Matt Greene (back) was placed on injured reserve this week and will likely miss the remainder of the season. Willie Mitchell (knee surgery) is also out, but practised this week… Former Oiler Dustin Penner was a healthy scratch for the Kings. Fellow forward Simon Gagne was also a healthy deletion for Los Angeles as the Kings tried to send a message after a slow start to the season… Edmonton native Mark Fistric made his debut on defence for the Oilers after being picked up via trade from the Dallas Stars for a third-round pick.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013