Edmonton Oilers' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93), Zach Hyman (18), Evan Bouchard (2) and Connor McDavid (97) celebrate a goal against the Vancouver Canucks during second period second-round NHL playoff action in Edmonton on Saturday May 18, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
EDMONTON – Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had a goal and two assists and Connor McDavid had three assists as the Edmonton Oilers staved off elimination with a dominant 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of their best-of-seven, second-round playoff series on Saturday.
Dylan Holloway, Zach Hyman and Evander Kane also scored for the Oilers who forced a winner-take-all seventh game in Vancouver on Monday night.
Nils Hoglander replied for the Canucks who are attempting to make it back to the Western Conference final for the first time since 2011.
Edmonton started the scoring eight minutes into the opening period as Leon Draisaitl fed it up to Holloway and he danced through the defence before tucking it between the legs of Canucks starter Arturs Silovs for his third of the playoffs. Draisaitl has picked up at least one point in all 11 playoff games this season.
Less than two minutes later the Canucks evened it up as Elias Pettersson sent a pass from behind the net out front to Hoglander, who snuck his first of the playoffs past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner.
The Oilers looked to have scored with one second remaining in the first on a point blast from Bouchard, but the goal was called off due to McDavid making incidental contact with Silovs.
The shots were just 4-4 through the first 20 minutes.
Edmonton regained the lead seven minutes into the middle frame as McDavid spotted Hyman in the slot and his shot deflected and bounced up and over Silovs and into the Vancouver net for his 10th of the playoffs. McDavid came into the game having only recorded one assist in his previous three games combined.
McDavid picked up another assist with 8:40 to play in the second as Bouchard scored his fifth goal and 17th point of the post-season on a long bullet of a shot from the point. The Oilers captain became just the 10th player in NHL history to record 20 playoff points in three consecutive seasons with his second assist.
Edmonton outshot Vancouver 14-5 in the second.
The Oilers made it 4-1 just 3:25 into the third period as McDavid picked up his third helper, sending a backhand pass to a hard-charging Nugent-Hopkins, who scored his third of the playoffs.
Edmonton put the game away with seven minutes left in the third as the draw came back to Kane and he unleashed a wicked wrister for his fourth of the post-season.
NOTES
Veteran forward Corey Perry was a healthy scratch for Edmonton, with Sam Carrick coming in to take his place. “¦ Skinner returned between the pipes for Edmonton after Calvin Pickard served as the starter for the last two games. “¦ Vancouver dressed the same lineup that garnered them a Game 5 victory. “¦ Out with injuries were goalie Thatcher Demko (undisclosed) for the Canucks and forward Adam Henrique (lower body) for Edmonton. “¦ Draisaitl became just the fourth player in NHL history to record 60 assists in 60 playoffs games and the third in league history to get to 100 points behind Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. “¦ The Canucks came into the game having registered at least 40 hits in each of the previous four games and held a 214-143 advantage in the series. “¦ Hyman is only the sixth player in Oilers franchise history to score 10 goals in a single post-season.
UP NEXT
Game 7 takes place in Vancouver on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2024.
