Oilers lament Kings' controversial OT winner after high stick review

The biggest story out of Los Angeles on Friday night wasn't Connor McDavid's two goals in under two minutes; it was a lengthy overtime review for a potential high stick.

With the Kings on the power play in the extra frame, Los Angeles forward Gabriel Vilardi appeared to hit the puck overhead with a high stick. However, the play continued, with Vilardi setting up Trevor Moore in front of the Oilers' net to give the Kings a 3-2 win and a 2-1 series lead.

Although McDavid raised his arm as Vilardi's apparent high stick went uncalled, a subsequent review by the league's situation room found no conclusive evidence that the puck made contact with Vilardi's stick above the normal height of his shoulders.

"The puck kinda goes up and it goes off his stick. So I call, 'High stick.' That's what I saw on the ice," McDavid recalled postgame. "Obviously, play goes on and they score. They have that review in place for a reason. I guess they determined they couldn't tell."

Here's a closer look at the incident:

Pretty hard to tell if Vilardi's stick touched the puck, even when the clip is slowed down and focused in#GoKingsGo | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/NwZUPO0zdr

- Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) April 22, 2023

Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft backed his superstar.

"I thought it's a play where the greatest player in the world is two feet away as it happens," Woodcroft said. "His arm comes straight up in the air because he knows that it hit the stick. Otherwise, he wouldn't put his arm up in the air, he would keep playing.

"It appears to me in the video that the puck's going straight up in a trajectory and deadens. In the end, I'm gonna go with the greatest player in the world who's three feet away."

Despite the controversy, Woodcroft acknowledged the Oilers can take fewer penalties. Edmonton has amassed 36 penalty minutes throughout the series, while Los Angeles has taken 22.

Leon Draisaitl, who also took a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct that led to a Kings power-play goal in Game 3, admitted that his team could be "smarter." However, he also expressed frustration with the officiating, arguing that defenseman Drew Doughty got away with a hit on McDavid.

"You don't call a clear knee-on-knee right in front of you, and then you call a slashing penalty - which is not smart on my part, I know that - but I just don't really know what the standard is right now," Draisaitl said.

Game 4 is set for Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.

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