Expectations were high for Quinton Byfield when he was selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. It may have taken time for the Newmarket, Ontario, native to gain traction in the NHL, but he is developing into the forward the Kings envisioned when they took him after Alexis Lafrenière went No. 1 to the New York Rangers. The Kings play the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round at Crypto.com Arena on Friday (10:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TBS, BSW, TVAS2, SN) after Byfield helped them tie the best-of-7 series 1-1.
Fresh off a resilient victory that changed the course of their first-round Western Conference playoff series, the Los Angeles Kings return home for Game 3 on Friday against the Edmonton Oilers. The Kings evened the best-of-seven series at a game apiece Wednesday when they took a pair of two-goal leads, weathered an Oilers comeback and won the game 5-4 a mere two minutes into overtime on the most fortunate of goals from Anze Kopitar. If there was anybody that knew hope remained after a 7-4 defeat in the series opener, it was Kings veterans Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. An 18-year Kings stalwart, Kopitar added a pair of assists, both on first-period goals from eight-year mainstay Kempe as Los Angeles dictated the early play.
The Kings simply set out to win a playoff series for the first time in a decade, but they've already created themes of resilience, reversal and retribution as they evened their matchup and pickpocketed home ice from the talent-rich Oilers ahead of Friday's Game 3 at home. “The players of that caliber, they just understand the game and they process the game so fast, you can only marvel at it,” Kings interim coach Jim Hiller said.
No | Player | P |
---|---|---|
44 | D | |
33 | RW | |
81 | D | |
55 | RW | |
29 | G | |
24 | C | |
30 | G | |
8 | D | |
80 | C | |
5 | D | |
22 | LW | |
84 | D | |
91 | RW | |
34 | RW | |
9 | C | |
11 | C | |
78 | RW | |
61 | C | |
46 | C | |
12 | LW | |
43 | D | |
31 | G | |
3 | D | |
21 | D | |
39 | G |