It's not just the Los Angeles Kings who are beating the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers are also beating themselves.

That was the response Wednesday from Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch after he watched his team allow six goals for the second straight game in a 6-2 loss to the Kings in Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

"The last two games, [the Oilers have allowed] five on the special teams, so that's a problem," Knoblauch said. "The other one is just mistakes. I don't necessarily see us -- I don't see L.A. making plays to beat us. Mistakes, gift-wrapping opportunities. That's different. If they make a heck of a play and [are] able to score goals, you just tip your hat and say, 'There's not much we're able to do.' But I don't think I've seen very much of that. I think it's been mostly gaffes that have cost us."

Entering the postseason, the defending Western Conference champions were already facing questions about how their defensive structure would perform against the Kings. Most of those concerns were centered around their goaltending, which finished the regular season in the bottom 10 in team save percentage, according to Natural Stat Trick. The concerns were further amplified by the fact that one of their best players, defenseman Mattias Ekholm, would miss the first round with an undisclosed injury.

Game 1 against the Kings saw the Oilers fall into a 4-0 deficit before a late second-period goal from Leon Draisaitl sparked a comeback that saw them tie game with 88 seconds left in the third before Phillip Danault scored the game winner with 42 seconds remaining in L.A.'s 6-5 victory.

In Game 2, the Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead before goals from Draisaitl in the second and former Kings winger Viktor Arvidsson in the third cut the lead to 3-2 before the Kings scored three unanswered goals in less than five minutes.

Knoblauch pulled goaltender Stuart Skinner after the fifth goal before his replacement, Calvin Pickard, allowed a goal on three shots in a little more than a minute worth of work.

"We're down 5-2, give him a break, but also sometimes when the goalies change, there's a little boost to our team, an immediate spark," Knoblauch said. "That's a stretch, it's a long shot after the TV timeout, give it a try."

Knoblauch was asked by reporters how he'll assess who will start in Game 3 between Skinner, who has allowed 11 goals on 58 shots through two games, or Pickard.

The second-year Oilers coach said he'll get together with his coaching staff and decide.

But Knoblauch added that he believed Skinner was not at fault for the team's defensive troubles.

"I don't think there's been any bad goals. There's been a lot of goals but the chances that we're giving up are Grade A's," Knoblauch said. "I'm not sure that are many, 'Geez, where's the save there?' It's been very difficult for a goaltender playing. More structure and the less we're giving up those opportunities, it's a lot easier for Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard playing."

Brandt Clarke scored the Kings' first goal on the power play as he was able to get open in the slot for a tip-in on an odd-skater rush. Quinton Byfield pushed it to 2-0 when he walked in on net and fired a point-blank attempt that beat Skinner while Andrei Kuzmenko's goal saw him get behind the Oilers on the power play.

"When you're making that gaffe and a guy is all by himself in the slot and we've seen probably three of those in the last two games, that's not giving your goaltender much help," Knoblauch said.

With Clarke, Kuzmenko and Anze Kopitar all scoring power-play goals, it led to Knoblauch addressing why the Oilers have struggled whenever the Kings have been on the extra-skater advantage.

Edmonton's penalty kill was among the factors in its run to the Stanley Cup finals last season. The Oilers were an NHL-best 94.3% in short-handed situations.

Through two games this postseason, they've already allowed five goals on 10 power-play opportunities.

"They made a change at the end of the season, and it's a good power play," Knoblauch said. "There's a lot of good moving parts there and it's difficult to check all five of those guys. They bring a different element. It's exactly what we expected from them. We saw a lot of penalty kills in our last regular-season game against them, and obviously, we've looked at the other games they've played against other teams. I don't think there's anything that's unexpected."

Knoblauch's recollection of what the Oilers saw from the Kings toward the end of the regular season plays into what could become part of a larger narrative throughout the series.

In their last four combined regular-season and playoff games against the Kings, the Oilers have allowed 20 goals. That includes a 3-0 loss on April 5 followed by a 5-0 loss on April 14.

With the series set to resume Friday in Edmonton, the Oilers will try to find the cohesion that has eluded them against a team they've faced in the first round for what is now a fourth consecutive season.

Over their previous three encounters, they've split the first two games with the Oilers going on to win the series. But with the Kings leaving L.A. with a pair of victories, they now stand two wins shy of advancing to the second round for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when they won their most recent Stanley Cup.

Arsenal kept Liverpool's Premier League title-winning champagne on ice but only just as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

First half goals by Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard looked like being enough for a lacklustre Arsenal against a lively Palace side who equalised with an Eberechi Eze volley.

But there was a late twist as Palace substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta produced a superb chipped finish over Arsenal keeper David Raya in the 83rd minute.

The draw left second-placed Arsenal on 67 points from 34 games with Liverpool on 79 from 33.

Had Arsenal lost, Liverpool would have won the title on Wednesday but they can now seal it with one point against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Both Arsenal and Palace have huge cup semi-final games looming -- Arsenal in the Champions League at home to Paris Saint-Germain next Tuesday and Palace this Saturday against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.

Twelfth-placed Palace could have been excused if they were distracted by what will be the biggest game of their season.

Instead, it was Arsenal who were off the pace as they drew for the 13th time in the league this season and fifth time in eight -- a statistic that has allowed Liverpool to all but mathematically wrap up a record-equalling 20th English title.

Palace, who left key players Mateta and Ismaïla Sarr on the bench but still fielded Eze, will have taken great heart from their display as they prepare for Villa on Saturday.

Eze took his goal brilliantly, connecting with Adam Wharton's corner to bounce a volley in off the post past Raya.

But the best was saved to last as Mateta, still wearing the protective covering on his ear badly gashed in the FA Cup fifth round tie against Millwall, lofted a sensational shot over Raya after a bad ball from William Saliba had put Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard in trouble.

HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets' 109-94 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs Wednesday featured a total of six technical fouls, a flagrant 1, minor scuffles and multiple "F--- you, Draymond!" chants at Toyota Center.

In other words, coach Ime Udoka and the Rockets felt right at home.

"If it gets chippy, we've seen over the last two years that's worked in our favor for the most part, gets us amped up," Udoka said. "But when you have a lead, [and you're] up 20, and things start to happen, you understand why. That's kind of the last resort by teams. You've got to keep your composure at that point and just stay calm."

A Fred VanVleet steal led to a Jalen Green layup with 5:23 remaining that gave the Rockets a 19-point lead. In the immediate aftermath, VanVleet and Draymond Green stood toe to toe jawing near the Rockets bench. As the conversation escalated, players from both sides gathered and pushed and shoved in a scrum while Warriors officials worked to separate Green from the crowd.

Green downplayed the incident, saying he and VanVleet were "just talking" and "everybody came and surrounded and started pushing."

As Green started to head for Golden State's bench, officials assessed Tari Eason a technical foul for a hostile act, after the Rockets forward threw a towel during the scuffle.

"I'd say my emotions just got the best of me," Eason said. "In between the lines, you've just got to keep it basketball. I'm going to just be better for my team moving forward in controlling my emotions. I know that with some of the guys they have over there, their thing is to kind of try to beat you mentally. If you know basketball, basketball is 90% mental."

Rockets fans heckled Green constantly throughout the game, in addition to chanting on multiple occasions, 'F--- you, Draymond!"

Warriors coach Steve Kerr took exception to some of the antics from the sellout crowd of 18,055.

"Draymond, he's been around forever," Kerr said. "He's an instigator. He's always going to be in the mix and because of his career, his championships, his fire. He's going to be a lightning rod, and that's all part of it.

"I would prefer if fans could use a little more discretion and remember the guy has kids. I don't know, maybe I'm old school. But I'm all for fans cheering for their team and if they want to yell at the opponents, great. But I just think 'F you' is a little much."

Green pointed out that Houston fans copied Wednesday's chant from Boston Celtics supporters, who heckled the Warriors forward similarly during the 2022 NBA Finals in games at TD Garden.

"It's not original," Green said. "I've been there before. Won a championship while it was happening. So yeah, it's not really original. Can't steal other people's s---; that belongs to Boston. So, I kind of just kept pushing."

As for the Rockets, the extracurricular activities and chippy banter served as somewhat of a galvanizing force.

"It seems to always do that," Udoka said. "That's who we are. It's our identity for the most part. Like I said at the start of the playoffs: We don't have to flip a switch and try to get tough or get more aggressive. So, that carries over into the playoffs. I don't mind it. It's good for us. It's who we kind of are, minus the towel throw. You'd like to keep your composure at that point. I told Tari that. He's not even in the game, so he shouldn't be over there. But it's what we've built ourselves on, the identity, and everybody's bought into that. It makes us who we are. So, I think our guys all kind of thrive on that. We've just got to keep our composure, especially when you've got a lead."

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this report.

CHICAGO -- Most players are happy to be done facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong might not be one of them.

The Los Angeles native has torched his childhood team this season, including Wednesday night at Wrigley Field when he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two stolen bases and a career-high four RBIs, helping the Cubs to a 7-6 win. It came one night after Chicago beat L.A. 11-10, with Crow-Armstrong contributing another home run.

He was asked Wednesday whether his production has special meaning coming against the team he used to root for.

"Absolutely," he said. "I mean, they are regarded as the best, and I think we've enjoyed being able to show that we're right there with them, and yeah, it's always a little extra special for me getting to do it against the team I grew up going to see."

Crow-Armstrong erased a 2-0 Cubs deficit with an opposite-field, three-run homer in the fourth inning, then added a run-scoring single an inning later, which turned out to be the final run of the night for the Cubs.

Overall, he had four home runs and nine RBIs in the seven-game season series against the Dodgers, which the Cubs won 4-3 after losing the first two games in Japan in mid-March. But that was before the Cubs' offense took off. They're averaging an MLB-high 6.3 runs per game.

Crow-Armstrong's season took off as well, starting over a week ago when the teams met in Los Angeles. In the 10 games since, the 23-year-old is hitting .400 with five home runs.

"He needs to send me a bottle of wine or some golf balls with all the success he's had," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts quipped before Wednesday's game.

Roberts and Crow-Armstrong exchanged pleasantries before the first game of the series, as the second-year player is friends with Roberts' son, Cole. The two played against each other growing up.

"I got a couple different connections to Doc," Crow-Armstrong said. "He's so great."

That's the same word Crow-Armstrong's teammates are using about him as he continues to impress both at the plate and in the field. According to ESPN Research, he's the fastest player in Cubs history to reach five home runs and 10 stolen bases, doing it in 26 games.

Plus, his pitchers love seeing him patrol center field.

"Defensively, I got to say he's probably the best," Wednesday's starter, Matthew Boyd, said. "And what he's doing at the plate is no surprise."

Crow-Armstrong showed signs of breaking out late last year but then struggled early this season before locking in during the Cubs' most recent road trip. He said he got "on-time" with his swing while learning how to deal with failure better. He was asked how satisfied he is with his game right now.

"If it comes out in a win, it's very satisfactory," he said. "It makes me feel very content. I love being able to impact it in any way I can."

So does his manager, who called Wednesday a "wonderful game" for Crow-Armstrong.

"He made his presence felt in a big way for sure," Craig Counsell said.

Crow-Armstrong is quickly becoming a fan favorite, as the Cubs faithful are taking to his aggressive style of play. He was asked what it's like to hear his name chanted when he comes to the plate after producing in previous at-bats.

"I've tried to tune that out," he said with a laugh. "I was actually thinking about it yesterday and I was like, I got to be 0-for-20 when they've chanted my name. But they continue to chant and they get behind every one of us and it's the coolest thing."

LOS ANGELES -- Veteran forward Evander Kane made his season debut for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.

Defenseman John Klingberg also returned from a lengthy injury absence as the Oilers attempted to even the series.

Kane is a 15-year NHL veteran who hasn't played for the Oilers since Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final last June. He had surgery last September to repair a sports hernia, and he underwent knee surgery in January.

Kane was slotted on to the Oilers' second line alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.

Klingberg hasn't played since suffering a lower-body injury while blocking a shot March 27 in Seattle. The Swedish veteran signed with Edmonton in January after going unsigned early in the season, but he played in only 11 games while dealing with multiple injuries.

The Oilers are hoping Klingberg can help their blue line, which frequently struggled in the Kings' 6-5 victory in Game 1.

Jeff Skinner was scratched by the Oilers to make room for Kane. The 15-year NHL veteran forward made his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 1, recording an assist.

WASHINGTON -- The highlight-reel, diving save that it looked like Logan Thompson made to rob Jake Evans was not actually a save at all, and he wants to make sure everyone knows that.

"I didn't save it," Thompson said. "It went off the post. I think I almost knocked it in."

Sure, Thompson and the Washington Capitals got a little lucky on that one. But his goaltending in the third period, when he made some spectacular stops, is the biggest reason they lead the Montreal Canadiens two games to none in their first-round playoff series.

"He was the difference tonight in the third: He wins us that game in the third period," coach Spencer Carbery said after a 3-1 victory in Game 2, after which Thompson was selected the first star. "You could feel the building with the energy with each save. It felt like he just got bigger and bigger and bigger. He was tested. He made some huge saves in that third period to keep us in front."

The Canadiens had multiple opportunities to tie the score, trailing 2-1 and pressing Thompson.

They got a 2-on-0 rush with 11 minutes left, but Thompson stopped Josh Anderson. With 4:22 on the clock, he got his stick in front of a textbook deflection by Christian Dvorak, who beat him earlier for a goal. And on the next shift, he denied Juraj Slafkovsky.

Fans rose to their feet to give Thompson a standing ovation and chanted "LT! LT!" after each of the saves.

"Extraordinary," rookie Ryan Leonard said. "A lot of trust back there with that guy. He's a gamer."

Making it an even better tale is this was just Thompson's second game back after getting injured when a shot dislodged his mask April 2 at Carolina.

"I knew I wasn't going to get a game before playoffs," Thompson said. "Just staying ready in practice, working as hard as I can and just waiting to see if I get my name called. It did. It's playoffs. It's not the start of the year: You can't take your time to get into it. You just have to hit it sprinting. That's kind of what I've done, and it's worked out."

Thompson and Charlie Lindgren alternated starts for the first half of the season. Then it became evident Thompson was Washington's No. 1 netminder, something solidified when he got a six-year, $35.1 million extension in late January and Lindgren signed for three years and $9 million in early March.

Lindgren shouldered the load down the stretch, a year after carrying the Capitals into the playoffs, but there was no doubt about Carbery and goaltending coach Scott Murray going to Thompson to start the series as long as the 28-year-old was healthy.

"These games, this is where he wants to play," Carbery said. "He wanted to play in the playoffs. He said: 'I'm ready to go. I want to be in the net in Game 1.' No disrespect to Charlie Lindgren. He wants these moments, and that's an important part of it."

Thompson made an important save early in the second period to keep his team's deficit at one goal. He was at his best in the third, making 14 of his 25 saves to keep Montreal from evening things up.

"We knew they were going to come out in the third just like they did last game, Thompson said. "It's easy to get into it when you make those saves. You're definitely right back in the game. It could easily swing the other way if a couple of those go in and you're fighting it, right? Luckily things went my way."

Free agent wide receiver Tyler Lockett is headed to the Tennessee Titans, he announced Wednesday night.

Lockett is signing with Tennessee on a one-year, $4 million deal worth up to $6 million, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Lockett brings a veteran presence to a Titans receiver room that is unproven other than Calvin Ridley, who is coming off a 1,000-yard season. The Titans also signed veteran Van Jefferson in March.

Tennessee is likely to select former Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick in Thursday's draft. Lockett's veteran presence should help the rookie quarterback as he gets acclimated to the NFL.

The Seattle Seahawks released Lockett, 32, on March 5, ending the 10-year run in Seattle of the second-most prolific pass catcher in franchise history. By releasing Lockett, Seattle saved $17 million in cash and cap space but took on $13.895 million in dead money.

Lockett had publicly expressed his gratitude for Seahawks general manager John Schneider bringing him back last offseason, when his future in Seattle was unclear on the heels of his slight downturn in production and Pete Carroll's ouster as head coach. As part of a restructured contract the two sides agreed to before free agency, Lockett took a $4 million pay cut.

Then he took a backseat in Seattle's receiver corps, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba breaking out in his second season. Lockett started strong, putting him on pace to replicate his 894-yard, five-touchdown season from 2023. But with Smith-Njigba becoming the focal point of the passing game over the second half, Lockett finished with 600 receiving yards and two scores, his lowest totals since 2017. His 74 targets were his fewest since 2018.

Seattle drafted Lockett in the third round out of Kansas State in 2015. He made an immediate impact as a kick returner, making the Pro Bowl and being selected first-team All-Pro as a rookie. His breakout as a receiver came in 2018 with 965 yards and 10 touchdowns. He topped 1,000 yards in each of the next four seasons, and his 45 touchdowns over that five-year span ranked tied for fourth most among wide receivers.

Lockett, who has sat out only two games because of injury over his career and another with COVID-19, ranks second in franchise history to Hall of Famer Steve Largent in catches (661), receiving yards (8,594) and receiving touchdowns (61). In December, he became a three-time winner of the team's annual Steve Largent Award, voted on by players in recognition of on- and off-the-field excellence.

ESPN's Brady Henderson and Turron Davenport contributed to this report.

CLEVELAND -- A portion of the Cleveland Cavaliers' success this season came from Donovan Mitchell taking a step back, taking fewer shots and nurturing younger teammates into bigger roles.

But he's still the team's superstar and he took a turn in that calling Wednesday night, scoring 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to hold off a vigorous Miami Heat comeback attempt as the Cavs took a 121-112 Game 2 victory. They'll carry a 2-0 series lead to Miami heading into Saturday's Game 3.

The Heat melted a 19-point Cavs lead down to just two with four minutes remaining. Mitchell entered the game and hit a floater and then back-to-back 3-pointers -- the second a 32-foot bomb -- to give the top-seeded Cavs a vital boost.

"I've worked really hard to be in those moments," Mitchell said. "You're fatigued or whatever, but you put your head down and get to the spots."

Mitchell averaged 24 points during the regular season, his fewest in five seasons. He averaged his fewest shots per game since he was a rookie in 2017-18. But in the two playoff games so far, he's verified his importance to the franchise with back-to-back 30-point games.

"I feel like when we need him he gives it, he knows the moment," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. "He doesn't do it when we're up 10 or 15 (points). He'll wait and wait. I think that's the maturity level he's gotten to where he is in his career, understanding what the situation is, what the moment is."

It didn't look like such a moment would be required as the Cavs had a historic-shooting first half. They made 14 of their first 21 3-point tries and set an NBA playoff record by making 11 triples in the second quarter. Eight different Cavs made a 3 in the first half, with Mitchell assisting on five 3s in the second quarter alone.

But after being the No. 1 3-point percentage team over the first four-plus months of the season, the Cavs ranked just 17th after March 1, and that inconsistency showed in the second half. They made just 4-of-15 in the third quarter as the team tried a collective heat check. That dry spell opened the door for the Heat, the first No. 10 seed in the play-in tournament to make the playoffs, to show their relentlessness attributes.

Coach Erik Spoelstra moved guard Davion Mitchell into the starting lineup, and he backed up that decision by scoring 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, when he was a catalyst at both ends. All-Star Tyler Herro scored 33 points, and Haywood Highsmith tried to balance out the Cavs' 3-point assault by making 5-of-6 3s on his way to 17 points.

But Mitchell made all four of his 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Heat were outscored 12-6 to close out the game.

"I love the fact that the game happened like this; I'd much rather this than win by 20," Mitchell said. "Especially going into an environment like we are in a few days (in Miami). We had to really find a way as a group."

Cavs forward Evan Mobley had 20 points and six rebounds and played key defense on Heat star Bam Adebayo, who had 14 rebounds but finished just 3-of-9 shooting. Thursday is potentially a huge day for Mobley, a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year Award that will be announced that night. As part of the maximum contract extension he signed last fall, Mobley will collected a $45 million bonus over the next five years if he wins the award and triggers escalators in his contract that will take the guarantee from $224 million to $269 million.

"I mean it definitely was a goal of mine coming into this year, I put all the work in, so it's a big day," Mobley said. "But I'm trying to be as focused as I can on the playoffs."

HOUSTON -- Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler took a scary fall late in the first quarter and suffered a pelvis contusion that forced him out of the team's 109-94 Game 2 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

Butler will undergo an MRI on Thursday, the team said.

Butler went up to grab a defensive rebound off Amen Thompson's missed shot, and Thompson flew into him. Butler came crashing down on his tailbone area and immediately looked to be in pain. Thompson, who was jostling with Draymond Green prior to colliding with Butler, was down for a short moment before getting up.

Butler remained in the game briefly, making 1 of 2 free throws, but called to come out with 1:51 left in the first quarter. He clearly was struggling to move.

Butler moved gingerly as he went to the locker room. The Warriors ruled Butler out for the game in the second quarter.

If Butler has to miss any more time, that would be a huge blow to Golden State. Entering Game 2, the Warriors were 25-8 (including regular-season, play-in and postseason games) since Butler made his debut with the team Feb. 8 in Chicago.

He had 25 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals to help the Warriors win Game 1 in Houston on Sunday.

Butler played eight minutes Wednesday, leaving with three points and two rebounds.

Warriors starting guard Brandin Podziemski also played only eight minutes in the first half because of illness. He came into the game feeling ill from something he ate, coach Steve Kerr said. The team said in the first half that Podziemski was questionable to return. That forced Kerr to play Jonathan Kuminga, who had not played since the regular-season finale against the LA Clippers. Little-used point guard Pat Spencer also saw action in the second quarter.

Podziemski returned in the third quarter and finished with zero points in 14 minutes.

The series now shifts to San Francisco tied at 1-1. Game 3 is Saturday.