The defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers punched their ticket to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 6 on Thursday night, clinching the first-round series 4-2.
Trent Frederic led the way with a goal and an assist, while Connor Brown added a goal and two helpers, including the empty-net dagger with just two seconds remaining to seal the victory for Edmonton. The win capped a wild, back-and-forth game that saw both teams trade momentum in a high-scoring affair.
Calvin Pickard made 22 saves for the Oilers, who got goals from six different players — Frederic, Brown, Adam Henrique, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Darnell Nurse — showcasing their depth and offensive firepower.
Los Angeles jumped out to a fast start as Quinton Byfield opened the scoring just 1:19 into the game, taking a slick centering feed from Kevin Fiala and finishing low on Pickard. But Edmonton quickly answered. Henrique tied it at 1-1 at 3:04, deflecting Brown’s rebound shot off a setup from Frederic.
The Kings momentarily regained the lead when Brandt Clarke rifled a wrist shot past Pickard just 33 seconds later. The Oilers responded in kind on the power play, as Nugent-Hopkins tied it 2-2 at 5:55 off a crisp cross-ice feed from Connor McDavid.
Edmonton took control in the second period. Hyman made it 3-2 by redirecting a point shot from Nurse at 12:49. Then, Nurse got one of his own at 14:59, taking advantage of a misplayed puck by Vasily Podkolzin and beating Kuemper from the top of the left circle. Frederic extended the lead to 5-2 at 16:35, tipping in Brown’s centering pass.
Jordan Spence gave the Kings life late in the period, cutting the deficit to 5-3 at 18:01 with a one-timer from Fiala. Los Angeles nearly mounted a dramatic comeback in the final minute when Anze Kopitar deflected a Drew Doughty point shot past Pickard to make it 5-4 with just 55 seconds left.
But any hopes of a Game 7 were extinguished when Brown scored into an empty net with two ticks left on the clock.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 23 shots for the Kings, who also received two assists each from Fiala and Alex Laferriere. Clarke, Byfield, Spence, and Kopitar accounted for the L.A. goals, but the Kings, the Pacific Division’s No. 2 seed, ultimately couldn’t slow down Edmonton’s offensive barrage.
The Oilers now await their second-round opponent as they continue their quest to return to the Stanley Cup Final.
