Kempe's shootout goal helps Kings sneak past Oilers

The Los Angeles Kings earned a bounce-back victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday evening, edging their division rivals in a 4-3 shootout at Rogers Place. The win capped off a quick two-day road trip and improved Los Angeles to 19-15-10.

After neither side could find a winning goal in overtime, it was Anton Forsberg who came up huge and saved all three Edmonton shots in the shootout. Adrian Kempe's shootout score that got past Connor Ingram was all the Kings needed to escape Canada with a gritty road victory.

Forsberg saved 21 of 24 shots total, but made his biggest three denials when it mattered most, turning away Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The victory snapped a two-game skid for him, improving his record to 7-6-3.

Each team scored once in the three regulation periods, with Draisaitl and Corey Perry exchanging goals in the first. It was the 10th of the year for Perry, who took advantage of a power play opportunity to rebound Brandte Clarke's initial try and get Los Angeles on the board.

With 119 career games played for the Oilers from 2023 to 2025, Perry made his impact felt against his former squad. The 40-year-old has now scored three times in his last five contests.

Draisaitl would strike yet again early in the second period to regain a one-score lead for Edmonton. However, a timely goal from 25-year-old Andre Lee less than three minutes later helped Los Angeles quickly equalize.

It was Lee's first goal of the season and just the second of his NHL career as he cashed in on a perfect feed from Quinton Byfield, who picked up his 19th assist on the play. The 2019 seventh-round draft pick appeared in 18 games last season for Los Angeles before being called up from the Ontario Reign on Wednesday.

His goal helped the Kings carry some momentum into the third and final period as Alex Laferriere delivered his 12th score of the season to give the squad their first lead of the evening. Clarke and Kempe notched assists on the play as Laferriere fired one between his own legs and into the net.

Oilers' superstar and second-leading scorer in the NHL, Connor McDavid, would not let his club go down quietly as he tied the game at three with just under 11 minutes remaining in regulation. It was his 30th goal of the year, giving Edmonton its first power play score of the night. Neither team could find another goal over the remainder of the period, and stayed equally as quiet in overtime. 

Los Angeles did a nice job claiming the regular-season series opener, with two more games scheduled against Edmonton at Crypto.com Arena in February and April. Any victory for the Kings against their division rival will continue to fuel them as they look to erase the memories of four consecutive first-round playoff exits at the hands of the Oilers.

The squad heads home to host the Stars on Monday, January 12, looking to build upon the impressive road performance. Dallas has had its struggles as of late and will head into the contest having lost seven of its last eight games.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT.