Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, left, celebrates with teammates Mattias Ekholm (14) and Darnell Nurse after the team's win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Los Angeles on April 29.The Canadian Press
POWER PLAY
The NHL’s top-scoring team sputtered at even-strength to start the series. The league’s No. 1 power play rode to the rescue a few times in the series going 9-for-16 overall for a 56.3-per-cent success rate. Two power-play goals in the second period kick-started Edmonton’s Game 4 comeback.
EVAN BOUCHARD
The 23-year-old defenceman took over quarterbacking the aforementioned power play after Tyson Barrie’s trade to Nashville for Ekholm. Bouchard’s eight power-play points (two goals, six assists) tied the NHL record for the most by a defenceman in a playoff series alongside Denis Potvin, John Carlson and Paul Coffey.
LEON DRAISAITL
A healthy Draisaitl – he sustained a high ankle sprain in Game 6 against L.A. last year – is a dominating Draisaitl. When he and McDavid were separated to start the series, the Kings had some success containing the Oilers captain at even-strength, but didn’t have an answer for Draisaitl. The German centre produced at a clip of 1.83 points per game, and his seven goals topped the NHL entering Sunday. “Big-time players show up in big games,” Draisaitl said before Game 6. “I really, really pride myself on that. That’s really important to me.”
CHAIN REACTION
Reuniting Draisaitl and McDavid on a line alongside Evander Kane didn’t immediately bear fruit in a 3-2 OT loss in Game 3, but that trio put hard miles on the Kings’ defence. A McDavid-to-Draisaitl even-strength goal in the second period of Game 4 accelerated the comeback, and seemed a catalyst for the secondary scoring that came after. Nine different Oilers scored 16 goals after that period. “When you can put two guys together that have played together a long time and add in a guy like Evander, who has played in really big games … it’s a good line,” McDavid said. “It’s something they have to think about for sure.”
BEND DON’T BREAK
Losing two of the first three games on power-play overtime goals to trail 2-1 could have sent a more fragile team into a tailspin. Edmonton’s run to the Western Conference final last year, its longest playoff drive in 16 years, matured this edition for the 2023 postseason. “We have an understanding that it’s not always going to be smooth sailing,” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said. “It’s okay that there’s some drama in the story.”
The Canadian Press