Connor McDavid scored a goal and assisted as Edmonton Oilers qualified for the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 2-0 victory in Game 7 over visiting Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Cody Sessie also scored, and Mike Smith made 28 saves for his second playoff draw for the Oilers, who last won Game 7 in 1998 and celebrated their first win in the playoff series since 2017.
Jonathan Quick made 39 saves in a loss for the Kings, who have not won a playoff series since winning their second Stanley Cup in 2014, also last year when they won a series in Game 7.
There was no goal in the busy start, with the Oilers making 10 shots at Jonathan Quick, while the Kings sent seven to Edmonton star Mike Smith. Quick entered the game with a 4-0 career record in Game 7s.
Edmonton came close to scoring in the middle of the second when the puck went over the goal line in a scramble, but was caught safely just in time by Kings striker Andreas Atanasiou.
Oilers finally overcame the deadlock with the remaining 6:45 in the second period, when McDavid passed behind the net to pinched Sessie, who struck over Quick’s shoulder.
WATCH l McDavid’s 2-point effort brought the Oilers past the Kings in Game 7:
Connor McDavid leads the Oilers to victory in Game 7 over the Kings
Edmonton closes Los Angeles in the seventh game after goals from Cody Sessie and Connor McDavid, they beat the Kings 2-0, moving on to the second round of the playoffs for the Stanley Cup.
Edmonton came close to increasing his lead several times in the early third when Josh Archibald nearly missed a puck through Quick’s legs and Kyler Yamamoto hit a crossbar with much of the open net.
The Oilers finally got some insurance with 3:53 left in the third after a great individual effort by McDavid, who drove behind the net before sending his second backhand attempt in it for his fourth goal and league-leading 14th playoff point. McDavid had several points in six of the seven games in the series.
The Oilers will now play the winner of the Calgary Flames / Dallas Stars series – which will be decided in their own match 7 on Sunday.
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