Evan Bouchard scored the game-winning goal with 38.1 seconds on the game clock and the Edmonton Oilers edged the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series on Tuesday.
The victory levelled the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2, with Game 5 set for Thursday in Vancouver.
opened the scoring for the Oilers on a first-period power play and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added a tally late in the second period.
Conor Garland and Brock Boeser had third-period goals for the Canucks, who lost their first road game of the post-season.
Calvin Pickard made 19 saves in his first-ever NHL playoff start, while Arturs Silovs stopped 27 of 30 shots for Vancouver.
The 32-year-old Pickard replaced Stuart Skinner, who allowed four goals on 15 shots in Edmonton’s Game 3 loss on Sunday.
Edmonton’s lethal power play struck midway through the first period to open the scoring after J.T. Miller was sent to the box for interference.
McDavid sliced a blistering pass to Draisaitl and the German forward ripped a one-timer past Silovs from the bottom of the right faceoff circle. The goalie got his glove on the shot but the puck bobbled and popped into the net to put the Oilers up 1-0 at the 11:10 mark.
The tally extended Draisaitl’s point streak to all nine of Edmonton’s post-season games, with eight goals and 12 assists across the stretch. He leads the league in playoff points.
Pickard was tested before the first intermission when Evander Kane was handed a double minor for high-sticking.
After an anemic start to the extended man advantage, Vancouver peppered the goalie with a flurry of chances in tight. Pickard withstood the barrage, even after being knocked down and forced to make stops from a seated position as Garland looked to poke a puck in from the blue paint.
