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GDB +4.0 Wrap Up: Oilers knot series with Kings at 2-2 thanks to comeback win capped off by Zach Hyman overtime winner

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Photo credit:Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Brennan Delaney
10 months ago
That probably wasn’t how they drew it up, but the series is tied, and that’s what matters.
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Things were looking pretty bleak for the Oilers as the Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period of Game 4 in Los Angeles. Stuart Skinner was pulled after the third and Jack Campbell took over between the pipes in relief.
The Oilers were able to battle back in the second period due in part to them capitalizing on both of the two power play opportunities that they got. Evan Bouchard scored early in the frame to put the Oilers on the board, Leon Draisaitl buried an even-strength goal a few minutes later, and then Draisaitl scored his second goal while on the man advantage in the dying seconds of the period.
The team that clawed back from a three-goal deficit in the second period wasn’t the team that came out of the gates for the third. The Kings scored five minutes into the period to regain their lead and the Oilers didn’t have much pushback.
It looked like the Kings were going to be able to trap their way to victory but the Evander Kane came through for the Oilers in the clutch. With just three minutes left on the clock, Kane picked the puck up in L.A.’s zone and roofed a shot over Joonas Korpisalo to tie the game at 4-4.
The two teams went to overtime for the third time in four games and Zach Hyman emerged as the hero that Edmonton needed…

PRESENTED BY BETWAY


Oilersnation’s player of the game: Jack Campbell

After the first period, the Oilers changed their goaltender to Jack Campbell, and oh boy did he ever keep the only Albertan team (in the playoffs) in the game.
Facing 28 shots, he saved all but one of them, with the goal not being his fault at all.
On top of a .964 save percentage, Campbell made the save which essentially saved Edmonton’s season, as he robbed Viktor Arvidsson on a breakaway with less than six minutes left in the game. Had he allowed this to go in, the Oilers would’ve been down 5-3 with just over five minutes remaining, which essentially would’ve meant down 3-1 in the series.

Things worth mentioning…

Stuart Skinner had a bad game on paper, but it’s hard to blame him for any of the goals. Perhaps the first one he could have handled better, as he directed the rebound to the middle of the ice, but at the end of the day, the defense has to be better.
Vincent Desharnais had a tough game. He was on the ice for all three first period goals, getting beat hard on Los Angeles’ second goal, and whiffing on a chance to clear on their third goal. We all know Desharnais is a solid third pairing defender, but he’s had a tough series. In fact, he played no minutes in either the third period or overtime. Let’s hope he bounces back.
Leon Draisaitl continues to be the best player on the ice, game in and game out. On Sunday evening, he registered his second two-goal game of the series and added an assist for good measure. All three of those points came in the second period.
Evan Bouchard is blossoming this series. While six of his seven points have come on the power play, he has stepped up in place of Tyson Barrie, and has excelled since the arrival of Mattias Ekholm. He really does have a chance to become the homegrown, top pairing defenceman that the Oilers have wanted for so long. Here’s his power play goal which made it a 3-1 game.
Connor McDavid got on the score sheet in regards to even strength on Sunday evening. First was an assist on Leon Draisaitl’s first goal. The other one was on Evander Kane’s game-tying goal late in the third period. Furthermore, he assisted on Evan Bouchard’s power play goal.
Evander Kane scored the game-tying goal with 3:02 remaining in the third period to send it to overtime. He looked a little banged up on a few plays this evening, but overall it was a solid game.
Zach Hyman scored the overtime goal to send us all home happy. He had a nice shot from the faceoff dot that went over Joonas Korpisalo’s right shoulder. Hyman has had a rather quiet playoff series, so it’s nice to see him get off the schneid here.
The referees had a solid game. This by far had the lowest number of penalties and while they missed some calls, it was rather consistent for both teams. Moreover, all of the five calls were the right calls. Hopefully, the consistency continues, but it’s nice to see the refs not wanting to be the centre of attention, unlike Game 3.
Game 5 returns to Rogers Place on Tuesday evening at 7:30 PM MT. The series is now a best of three, with the Oilers having two of those games (if needed) at home. There’ll be a long layoff before game six, which will be back in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 29th. The reason for this is because the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers could play home games at the arena.
If you enjoy my content, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.

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