EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers have evened their series with the Los Angeles Kings thanks to another epic third-period rally.
The Oilers followed up a Game 3 victory that saw them turn a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead within 10 seconds by getting two tallies in the final frame from defenseman Evan Bouchard in Game 4. The second of those Bouchard markers came with just 28.4 seconds remaining in regulation, setting the stage for a Leon Draisaitl goal 18:17 into overtime. It was Draisaitl’s first career NHL playoff goal.
Amazingly, this series is all square as things shift back to Southern California.
The Oilers have trailed entering the third period in all four games of the series but have been buoyed by nine goals in that frame. They’ve made every contest except Game 2 competitive when it looked like the Kings had the situation under control.
Line changes spark the Oilers’ third-period charge
The Oilers switched their top six during the second intermission heading into a crucial final period of regulation. Draisaitl and Corey Perry moved up to Connor McDavid’s line, whereas McDavid’s wingers, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, were bumped to the second trio. Nugent-Hopkins centered Hyman and Evander Kane.
The shuffle worked out while the Oilers pressed to try to tie the game.
McDavid and Draisaitl got assists on Bouchard’s first goal, a shot that pinballed off Drew Doughty before it slid by Darcy Kuemper. They were both in on Bouchard’s tying marker, too, after Quinton Byfield failed to clear the zone.
Draisaitl finished the game with a goal and three helpers as he extended his playoff point streak against the Kings to 35 points (17 goals and 18 assists) in 18 games.
Kings’ inability to hold leads remains problematic
Byfield will want a do-over. As the Kings tried to defend against Edmonton and a sixth Oilers attacker after Calvin Pickard was pulled, Byfield got the puck and appeared to have time to get the puck out of his zone to kill more of the waning seconds left on the clock.
Instead, Byfield took two strides first rather than immediately chip the puck off the wall or flip it into the air. Bouchard took the puck away from Byfield to keep offensive possession and eventually got it back to fire in his game-tying blast past Kuemper on the stick side.
That made for the third blown lead in the third period for the Kings in the first four games. The Oilers rallied from a 5-2 deficit in Game 1 to forge a tie before losing late in regulation. The Kings also couldn’t finish in Game 3 as Kane tied the game with 6:42 remaining and Bouchard provided the lead 10 seconds later on the power play after a failed challenge for goalie interference.
Perry showcases net-front touch
The Oilers have continued to give Corey Perry time on the first-unit power play this series after he filled in capably at the net front for an injured Hyman to close out the regular season.
“Corey maybe has a little more touch and fitness around the net,” coach Kris Knoblauch said before the game.
Perry showcased exactly what Knoblauch was referring to in Game 4.
A second-period power play looked out of sorts until Perry got a pass from Draisaitl at the net. Perry turned and backhanded a shot that Kuemper got his right arm on. Perry reacted quickly. He deflected the puck out of midair and over Kuemper toward the crease before batting it into the wide open net.
The goal, Perry’s second of the series, was as creative as it was skillful.
Another iffy goal highlights Oilers’ questions in net
Goaltending has ranged from a major question mark to a sizable concern through four games for the Oilers. Though there were some baffling mistakes leading to quality Kings’ chances, especially in Los Angeles, the goalies haven’t exactly been up to the task either.
It started with simply not making enough saves, notably at key times. Now, it’s bled into surrendering stoppable shots.
Pickard started his second consecutive game in place of Stuart Skinner on Sunday after getting a win two nights previous. The last goal he allowed in Game 3 was a one-handed attempt by Trevor Moore that occurred eight seconds after Connor Brown tied the game. The first goal he gave up in Game 4 also went through his legs and also came off Moore’s stick.
Goaltending has been one of many issues for the Oilers in this series, but it’s the most important position on the ice. Pickard’s performance in a win means the Oilers might just continue to stick with him.
Kings aren’t apologizing for their defensive usage
Once again, the Kings made a change with their defensive rotation. Once again, they leaned heavily on their four core veterans.
Jacob Moverare was reinserted into the lineup for Game 4 and Jordan Spence was pulled out for the first time in the series. Moverare made his NHL playoff debut in Game 2 as the Kings went with seven defenders, but he appeared for just one shift that was charted at 2 minutes, 36 seconds. Spence had appeared in each game after averaging nearly 17 minutes as a regular but the 8:50 he played in Game 2 is his series high.
In Game 3, Spence did not take another shift after the early minutes of the second period and only played four shifts in all totaling 2:55. The Kings stuck with a 12-forward, six-defenseman look for the second straight contest, but took to spotting Moverare with Vladislav Gavrikov and Brandt Clarke in certain situations with Joel Edmundson. The spots of Moverare were few as he logged only 2:26 but Clarke did play 11:58.
Clarke and Edmundson were partnered together for much of the season, but assistant coach D.J. Smith had Edmundson and Gavrikov together whenever possible when McDavid or Draisaitl — or both — were on the ice. As usual, Mikey Anderson and Doughty were together and played a ton.
While he’s growing weary of being asked why he’s essentially playing four defensemen with Clarke basically a little-used No. 5, Hiller isn’t apologizing for taxing the blueliners he wants to rely on.
“We play the players who in the moment we think are going to give us the highest probability to win the hockey game,” Hiller said. “Some guys are going to play more, some guys are going to play less and that could be from night to night. Beyond that, I don’t know. We can question the decisions if they’re good or bad. That’s your prerogative. But that’s how we approach it.”
(Photo: Codie McLachlan / Getty Images)