Through two games the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks are delivering the fireworks promised from a great Canadian rivalry in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After a dramatic 5-4 victory for the Canucks in Game 1, the second tilt required extra time to determine the outcome. This time it was the Oilers who emerged victorious 4-3, thus evening the series at 1-1 as the action heads to Edmonton on Sunday.
Vancouver and Edmonton Exchange Blows
The second match turned out even closer than the first but evolved in a different manner. Whereas Vancouver was forced to climb a steep hill to flip a 4-1 deficit in the first game, Friday night’s contest witnessed both sides go blow for blow in more ways than one. The hosts opened the scoring with Elias Pettersson finally notching his first tally of the postseason on the power play, only for Edmonton to respond through Leon Draisaitl, also on the man advantage.
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Early in the second period, the Canucks benefited from some 4-on-4 hockey in the Oilers’ zone, with Brock Boeser tipping in a shot for a 2-1 advantage. Lo and behold, Mattias Ekholm levelled the terms 23 seconds later. Just before the sides retired to their quarters for the intermission, Nikita Zadorov scored another version of his Round 1 Game 5 marker, sending a sensational wrist shot from a tough angle above Stuart Skinner’s shoulders. The lone goal of the third period belonged to Edmonton’s talisman Connor McDavid, who raced out off a turnover and did what he does best when one-on-one against a goalie.
Overtime was settled when the Oilers pressed and Evan Bouchard sent the puck into the crease and deflected it off Ian Cole’s stick and into the net. Make the final, 4-3 for Edmonton.
Apart from the back-and-forth scoring, the series’ intensity kicked up a notch. Body blows were tossed around more in Game 2 and there were a few dubious shots to players’ faces and from behind the back. Whether accidentally or not, McDavid even high-sticked Quinn Hughes’ cheek in the second period, making for some intense captain-on-captain crime.
Game 3 sees the action head to Edmonton on Sunday evening.