Connect with us

Sports

Kings look uninspired in blowout loss to Edmonton Oilers in Game 1

Published

on

Kings look uninspired in blowout loss to Edmonton Oilers in Game 1

When the Edmonton Oilers abandoned the Northlands Coliseum for their handsome new downtown home eight years ago, the collection of office towers, hotels and restaurants that sprang up around Rogers Place became known collectively as the Ice District.

For the Kings, the name alone has had a chilling effect because Rogers Place is where the team’s last two playoff campaigns started — and both were put on ice in first-round losses to the Oilers.

The Kings were back in Edmonton for the third installment of their postseason trilogy Monday and the first act did not go well, with the Oilers scoring twice in the first 10 minutes on their way to a 7-4 win.

And for Edmonton, it was truly a team effort. Zach Hyman finished with three goals and an assist, Adam Henrique and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and an assist, Evan Bouchard had four assists and Connor McDavid had five helpers to lead a performance that was as efficient as it was one-sided.

Advertisement

Mikey Anderson and Adrian Kempe each scored in the second period, and Pierre-Luc Dubois and Trevor Moore scored late in the third period for the Kings who, aside from a brief span late in the second period, were overmatched.

It will take at least a week to find out how much that result will mean since the Kings beat the Oilers in the playoff opener in each of the last two seasons, only to lose the series. And the last time the Oilers won the first game of a postseason series, they wound up losing to the Ducks in the second round in 2017.

“It’s a seven-game series,” defenseman Drew Doughty said. “We’re down 1-0, but we can easily make it 1-1 next game. We’ve gotta put that one behind us.

“We’ve got to learn from what we did wrong and fix the things we did wrong. And bring them into the next game. We’ll just have a short memory and be ready to win the next one.”

Nevertheless, for a veteran Kings team featuring 14 players off last season’s postseason roster, it was a troubling start.

Advertisement

The Kings wanted to set the tone and instead they came up flat, conceding the first four goals while giving up 45 shots overall.

The Kings turned shaky after the first five minutes and it didn’t take long for the Oilers to take advantage, with Hyman deflecting a McDavid pass from the edge of the left circle to give Edmonton the lead 6:52 into the game.

On the play, McDavid reached to control a loose puck at the blue line, deking toward the center of the ice, then spinning away from Anderson before passing to Hyman in the slot for a tap-in.

Advertisement

Henrique doubled the Oilers’ lead less than three minutes later, scoring on a wrister from the center of the left circle off an assist from Hyman.

The Kings’ best chance in the first 30 minutes came early in the second period when a turnover in the neutral zone launched Viktor Arvidsson on a breakaway with only Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner to beat. But his wrist shot was wide of the net, the Oilers controlled the rebound and 20 seconds later Hyman scored again to make 3-0.

Kings Goalie Cam Talbot positions himself to stop a shot by Oilers forward Zach Hyman.

Kings Goalie Cam Talbot positions himself to stop a shot by Oilers forward Zach Hyman during the first period of Game 1.

(Curtis Comeau / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

McDavid again set up the goal, this time spinning away from Drew Doughty, who got caught in traffic behind the Kings’ net, and centering the puck to a wide-open Hyman at the bottom edge of the right circle.

Advertisement

“The rushes were just too many,” Doughty said. “We’re letting their top guys get way too much speed and just go through the neutral zone like it’s nothing and it’s tough on the [defense] when those guys are flying.

“So we’ve got to fix that. And we know that we’ll fix it.”

Kings coach Jim Hiller agreed.

“Over the last couple of months of the season when we’ve had a [poor] game, every time we’ve had one of those, we’ve come back with a strong effort,” he said. “So we’re going to have to do that. We’re going to have to be much better than we were tonight, that’s very clear.

“These are things that are fixable for us. I don’t have a good answer as for why we did [that]. But that’s not how we play.”

Advertisement

The Kings, who haven’t won a playoff series in a decade, entered the postseason healthier than they were at any point during the regular season and boasted the NHL’s second-best penalty kill, something they hoped would act as kryptonite to the Oilers’ deadly power play. But even that didn’t work, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring the first of three power-play goals to make it 4-0 at 8:44 of the middle period.

The rout was on.

Anderson finally got the Kings on the board at 10:56 of the second period, blasting a slap shot past Skinner from between the blue line and left circle, and Kempe made it a two-goal game when he circled behind the net and deflected a shot in off the skate of Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard with 2:04 left before the second intermission.

But the Kings gave back whatever momentum they had earned when Draisaitl and Hyman scored power-play goals in the opening 6:27 of the final period.

“We talked about our penalties. We talked about their power play so much before this series,” Doughty said. “That shot us in the foot.”

Advertisement

The Kings got a couple of meaningless goals from Dubois and Moore in the final 3:04 late before Warren Foegele closed the scoring for Edmonton with a empty-net goal with 26 seconds to play.

The series continues Wednesday at Rogers Place before moving to Crypto.com Arena for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday.

Sports

LIV Golf stars commit to staying put after Brooks Koepka’s departure, return to PGA Tour

Published

on

LIV Golf stars commit to staying put after Brooks Koepka’s departure, return to PGA Tour

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Brooks Koepka may have returned to the PGA Tour following a stint at LIV Golf, but do not expect the Saudi-backed league’s other biggest stars to join in.

Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith all committed to staying put when speaking to reporters on Tuesday at a preseason press conference.

“I had no idea, no idea that that would happen.” DeChambeau said. “No idea what the penalties would even be. Right now, I’ve got a contract. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do at LIV Golf this year.”

 

Advertisement

Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm walk to the eighth green during the first round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 2, 2022.  (Adam Cairns/The Columbus Dispatch)

“I made a decision to come out here and spend more time at home, and I’m not giving that away. I’ll be on LIV for years to come,” added Smith, who won the 2022 Open Championship shortly before officially committing to LIV.

DeChambeau and Smith each left in 2022, but Rahm was perhaps the biggest surprise. Once very outspoken against LIV, he joined the league in December 2023.

In August 2024, he shut down rumors of buyer’s remorse to Fox News Digital, and that still appears to be the case.

“I’m not planning on going anywhere. Very similar answer to what Bryson gave. I wish Brooks the best. As far as I’m concerned, I’m focused on the league and my team this year, and hopefully we can repeat as champions again,” Rahm said.

Advertisement

Koepka’s decision came weeks after he revealed he would be leaving the rival series.

“I want to thank my family and my team for their continued support throughout every step of my professional career,” he wrote on social media. “When I was a child, I always dreamed about competing on the @PGATOUR, and I am just as excited today to announce that I am returning to the PGA TOUR. Being closer to home and spending more time with my family makes this opportunity especially meaningful to me.

Brooks Koepka, of the United States, acknowledges the crowd on the 5th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, July 17, 2025. (Peter Morrison, File/AP Photo)

KAI TRUMP ADMITS SHE STAYS OUT OF POLITICS ‘COMPLETELY,’ CALLING IT A ‘DANGEROUS THING’

“I believe in where the PGA TOUR is headed with new leadership, new investors, and an equity program that gives players a meaningful ownership stake,” he continued. “I also understand there are financial penalties associated with this decision, and I accept those.”

Advertisement

Koepka said he planned to be at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Waste Management Phoenix Open in the coming weeks.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said Koepka’s return sparked the Returning Member Program for those who left the company and may decide to follow in Koepka’s footsteps.

Rolapp said Koepka agreed to a few conditions upon his return to the PGA Tour. It included a “five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program, representing one of the largest financial repercussions in professional sports history, with estimations that he could miss out on approximately $50–85 million in potential earnings, depending on his competitive performance and the growth of the Tour,” according to Rolapp. Koepka will also make a $5 million charitable donation to an organization yet to be determined.

Brooks Koepka during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow. (Aaron Doster/Imagn Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Advertisement

Koepka became the first person to return to the PGA Tour after defecting for LIV.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Luka Doncic plays and scores 27 points as the Lakers rout the Hawks

Published

on

Luka Doncic plays and scores 27 points as the Lakers rout the Hawks

Luka Doncic and LeBron James were listed as questionable for the Lakers’ back-to-back game Tuesday night against the Atlanta Hawks. Doncic because of left groin soreness, James because of left foot joint arthritis and right sciatica.

Also, checking the stat sheet before the game, the Lakers were listed as one of the worst three-point shooting teams and one of the worst defensive shooting percentage teams in the league.

Well, Luka played and LeBron played and the Lakers shot lights-out from three-point range and were solid across the board on defense while i rolling over the Hawks 141-116 at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic felt soreness in his groin when the Lakers played at Sacramento on Monday night and was unsure about playing Tuesday. But he played and delivered 27 points, 12 assists and five rebounds.

James didn’t play in the second game of a back-to-back game last week at New Orleans and San Antonio and said he will be listed as TBD, to be determined, in such scenarios. But James played against the Hawks and nearly produced a triple-double with 31 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

Advertisement

Coming into the game, opponents were shooting 48.8% from the field and 37.4% from three against the Lakers, ranking them 28th and 26th, respectively, in the NBA.

The Hawks began the game ranked fourth in three-point shooting, making 37.4%, and they were ranked eighth in field-goal percentage, making 43.6%.

All of the above made for a bad recipe for the Lakers entering the game.

But when the game started, none of that mattered to the Lakers, who held the Hawks to 45% shooting and 28.3% from three-point range.

The Lakers shot 55.9% (19 for 34) from three-point range.

Advertisement

The Lakers’ big lead was sliced to 11 points in the fourth.

But back-to-back three-pointers by James and Marcus Smart, both off passes from Doncic, and a Doncic basket gave them a 19-point lead, and they never looked back.

The Lakers scored 81 points in the first half, a season-high for points in a half, a half in which they opened a 23-point lead and had the Hawks reeling from the beginning.

Doncic missed just one of his six three-pointers in the first half. Gabe Vincent came off the bench and missed just one of his four three-pointers in the first half.

Rui Hachimura had missed the previous seven games with a right calf strain but was back in action against the Hawks. He had seven points and two rebounds in 18 minutes.

Advertisement

ETC: The Lakers signed guard Kobe Bufkin to a 10-day contract Tuesday. The 6-foot-5 Bufkin played in seven games for the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers’ G League team, where he averaged 28.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists over seven games. He has appeared in 27 career NBA games over two seasons with the Hawks. “You know, during the stretch, we’ll have opportunities during this 10-day,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said…. Backup center Jaxson Hayes didn’t play against the Hawks because of left hamstring soreness. Redick said Hayes got some “imaging” Tuesday on his injury and that the Lakers will have “more information” going forward.

Continue Reading

Sports

Mike Tomlin stepping down as Steelers head coach: reports

Published

on

Mike Tomlin stepping down as Steelers head coach: reports

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Mike Tomlin is stepping down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to multiple reports.

Tomlin’s decision on Tuesday came after a blowout loss against the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round of the playoffs. It marked the Steelers’ seventh straight postseason defeat.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending