Game 4 Recap
Oilers Tie Series with Thrilling OT Win
Leon Draisaitl scored on a power play at 18:18 of overtime and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on Sunday night in Game 4 to tie the first-round playoff series.
After assisting on Edmonton’s first three goals, Draisaitl beat goalie Darcy Kuemper after the puck found him on the right side off a scramble. The Oilers got the power play when defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov tripped Connor McDavid.
Turning Point of the Game
Bouchard’s Late Goal Sends Game to OT
Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard tied it with 29 seconds left and goalie Calvin Pickard off for an extra attacker, beating Kuemper with a straightaway slap shot from near the blue line.
Bouchard had his second straight two-goal game, also pulling the Oilers within one at 7:51 of the third with a shot that deflected in off Kings defenseman Drew Doughty’s skate. Bouchard had the go-ahead goal Friday night in Edmonton’s 7-4 home victory.
Post-Game Reaction
“That’s our identity in here. We’ve built that years ago. It’s a mentality that we have, that we’re never going to quit, no matter what,” Draisaitl said. “We’ve shown that in the series so far, maybe a little bit too much. We’ve got to find a way to play with a lead.
“It shows a lot of character, and we can be really proud of that. But you don’t want to do that every night.”
Series Update
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The Kings haven’t won a playoff series since beating the New York Rangers in 2014 to win the Stanley Cup.
“I thought we skated a lot better tonight than we did in Game 3 and had plenty of opportunities to put it away. And did not,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “So, here we are. We go home 2-2 instead. They get a power play in overtime, those are tough.”
Corey Perry also scored for Edmonton, and Pickard stopped 38 shots.
Trevor Moore, Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala scored for the Kings, and Kuemper made 44 saves — 17 in overtime.
Player Interviews
“Of course it’s painful, but that’s playoffs though,” Kings forward Phillip Danault said. “It’s 2-2, it’s back to even. Now we go back home and play hard, put our heart on the line and anything can happen.”
Fiala made it 3-1 on a breakaway at 7:32 of the second.
Moore opened the scoring with 9:25 left in the first. He foiled a hard-around along the right boards, got the puck back from Danault, skated toward the goal and beat Pickard with a wrist shot.
Foegele gave Los Angeles a 2-0 lead on determined rush at 1:31 of the second period. Perry got one back for Edmonton on a power play at 4:11, batting the puck out of the air just below the crossbar and swatting it in as it fell.
Moving Forward
“I would like to have a better start,” said McDavid, who had two assists. I don’t want to have to keep digging ourselves out of two, three, four-goal leads. But it is good that we’ve shown them that we can. We’re a tough group to close out in games. We’ve got some good players that make plays coming down the stretch.”
Conclusion
The Edmonton Oilers have tied the series 2-2 with their thrilling OT win in Game 4. The team’s never-give-up mentality and strong performances from players like Draisaitl and Bouchard have been key factors in their success. As the series heads back to Los Angeles, the Oilers will look to build on their momentum and take the lead.
FAQs
Q: What was the final score of Game 4?
A: The final score was 4-3 in favor of the Edmonton Oilers.
Q: Who scored the winning goal in OT?
A: Leon Draisaitl scored the winning goal on a power play at 18:18 of overtime.
Q: What is the current state of the series?
A: The series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
