The Edmonton Oilers faced a 2-1 series deficit heading into Game 4, and after two goals by the Dallas Stars in the first 5:29 of the game, it looked like the score could grow to 3-1.
Then the tide turned significantly.
Ryan McLeod and Evan Bouchard scored in the first, followed by goals from Mattias Janmark and Leon Draisaitl in the second, and an empty-net goal from Mattias Ekholm for good measure. The series is now 2-2 and returns to Dallas for Game 5 on Friday (8:30 pm ET, TNT).
What stood out the most about this game? What trends will continue? And who are the key players to watch now that the series has been reduced to best of 3?
Greaser grade: A-
Game 4 was the perfect wrap-up for the Oilers. They got off to a terrible start, trailing 2-0 in the first 5:29 of a game they had to win. They came back strong to score five unanswered goals, controlled the game limiting Dallas to 22 shots, killed two power plays and scored a shorthanded goal. Goaltender Stuart Skinner looked like he was about to crumble, but he made key saves, including a great one on Tyler Seguin, to ensure Dallas didn't score that third goal.
No team in the postseason can look as bad and as good as the Oilers, often in the same 20 minutes.
Coach Kris Knoblauch also deserves his flowers for changing his roster for Game 5. He traded forwards Corey Perry and Ryan McLeod, as well as defenseman Philip Broberg; and he traded forwards Sam Carrick and Warren Foegele, as well as defenseman Vincent Desharnais. Once again, Knoblauch pushed the right buttons: McLeod scored Edmonton's first goal to cut Dallas' lead to 2-1, off an assist from Perry; and his line with Leon Draisaitl outscored the Stars 6-1 while on the ice at 5-on-5.
The Oilers credit Knoblauch with saving their season. He has continued those heroics in the playoffs.
1:20
Oilers take the lead with 2 goals in 51 seconds
Mattias Janmark and Leon Draisaitl score less than a minute apart to give the Oilers a 4-2 lead over the Stars.
Star grade: C-
Blowing a 2-0 first-half lead wasn't the problem. Watching the Oilers score two goals in 51 seconds (a short-handed goal by Mattias Janmark and Leon Draisaitl's 10th of the postseason) wasn't the problem.
The problem was how tamely the Stars lost Game 4 in Edmonton. Dallas had one High-danger shot attempt in the third period against Stuart Skinner.
Without passion, without resistance. Now the Oilers have new life in the series.
What we learned in Game 4
Goalkeepers can make stick saves even when they don't have sticks in their hands.
Late in the first period, Stars goalie Jake Oettinger lost his stick while struggling to make two saves on an Edmonton power play. Oilers winger Zach Hyman pushed the stick with his skate behind Oettinger, eventually settling with the blade of the stick crossing the goal line.
Connor McDavid placed the puck to Oettinger's right, saw some light between the goalie and the net and fired the puck… straight off the abandoned stick and out of harm's way for Dallas. McDavid had a look of shock and disbelief on the bench in a 2-2 game.
0:46
'Incredible!' Jake Oettinger's unattended stick somehow blocks the goal
Jake Oettinger's stick is somehow placed in the right path to prevent the Oilers from taking a lead in the first period.
According to the official NHL score, it counted as a missed shot by McDavid instead of a save by Oettinger, which we believe is a serious underestimation of Otter's precognitive powers.
Players to watch in Game 5
Nurse Darnell. The Edmonton defenseman was mocked locally after Game 3, with some openly questioning his future with the team due to his ineffectiveness. He was on the ice for the Stars' first two goals, including a shot by Esa Lindell that deflected off Nurse and into the net to make it 2-0.
But he kept fighting. He assisted on McLeod's goal. It was a physical presence. He took 12 hits but did not receive any minor penalties in 19:19 of ice time. It was a critical performance for an important player.
Jason Robertson. Is the Roberts-issance over? The Stars winger went 10 playoff games without scoring before scoring a hat trick in Game 3, thanks in part to the return of Roope Hintz. But Robertson went -2 without a point in Game 4, the sixth time in the postseason that he was held without a point and the seventh time in which he had a negative rating.
With the Stars still looking for their first power-play goal of the series, they need the Robertson who appeared in Game 3, and the action will return to Dallas for Game 5.
Big question for Game 5: Is Chris Tanev okay?
The Stars defenseman blocked an Evander Kane shot with his right foot with 7:38 left in the second period and did not return to the game with a lower-body injury. A key trade deadline acquisition, Tanev has been a key part of the Stars' top four defense, averaging 23:26 of ice time per game.
He has 68 blocked shots to lead all players in the postseason. Dallas hopes he'll be available to block a few more in Game 5. If not, it's a big blow to the thinnest area of the Stars' lineup and could impact their penalty kill, which is the last thing you want against the Oilers.
After the game, coach Pete DeBoer said “fingers crossed” Tanev will be OK for Game 5.
