Oilers Supporters Shower Ice with Debris Following Game 1 Defeat

Certainties in life: death, taxes, and the Edmonton Oilers losing the first game of a series, it seems.

These tricky game ones have become a sort of Achilles' heel for the Oilers. In their last seven playoff series since 2017, they've only managed to secure a game one victory once: in the second round of 2017 against Anaheim.

Regrettably, this pattern persisted last night when the Oilers squandered a 2-0 and 3-1 lead, ultimately losing 4-3 in overtime to the LA Kings. It wasn't the ideal start the Oilers had envisioned for the 2023 playoffs.

What might be the hardest part to digest about this loss is how the Oilers initially set the tone with an impressive performance. They burst onto the scene in the first period, delivering hits, blocking shots, and quickly securing a 2-0 lead with goals from Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. They capitalized on three power plays compared to the Kings' two, with Bouchard's goal occurring during a man advantage.

Indeed, the situation deteriorated rapidly. Right after Iafallo's goal, Oilers supporters began pelting the ice with debris. This was the spectacle at Edmonton's Rogers Place last evening as Iafallo erupted:

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