Oilers have Flames on brink of elimination in Battle of Alberta
Another wild game in the Battle of Alberta.
The Edmonton Oilers blew a three goal lead thanks to one of the wildest playoff goals in recent memory, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his second goal of the game in the final minutes to break the tie, leading the Oilers to a 5-3 win and a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Calgary Flames.
THE OILERS LEAD ONCE AGAIN 😱#StanleyCup | #BattleofAlberta | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/mGyClcj2XW
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 25, 2022
The Oilers held a 3-0 lead after the first period, but the Flames scored a pair in the second period to get within a goal before this improbable shot from Rasmus Andersson tied the game.
HELLO?!?!?!#StanleyCup | #BattleofAlberta | #Flames pic.twitter.com/5ESr1mTxLK
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 25, 2022
That goal felt like it could very well be a key point in the series. The Flames had slowly clawed back into the game after their early 3-0 deficit, and that bounce put all the momentum on their side, but the Oilers were able to overcome the noise and score the most important goal of the series.
The Andersson goal wasn’t the only eye-popping goal in Game 4, as Nugent-Hopkins got a gift from Jacob Markstrom in the opening minute.
21 seconds in and the @EdmontonOilers are already up one. 🤭 #StanleyCup
🇺🇸: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/sOA8IetYOJ
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/TZhtVvqZ89 pic.twitter.com/Yc2O6xahXd— NHL (@NHL) May 25, 2022
The Oilers doubled their lead on Zach Hyman’s 7th goal of the playoffs, with Connor McDavid picking up the assist.
A machine. An absolute machine this guy. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/kX01jllCIy
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 25, 2022
Though the Flames did a better job of controlling McDavid in Game 4, his late assist on Evander Kane’s empty net goal secured yet another multi-point game – his tenth of the playoffs already.
McDavid now has 25 points in just eleven games, which is the fourth-most in NHL playoff history.
The Oilers now hold a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, with the Flames now facing elimination.
The Flames have faced 3-1 deficits against the Oilers in the playoffs before. The Flames forced Game 7’s in both 1984 and 1991, but came up short in both of those instances.
The series heads back to Calgary for Game 5 on Thursday. Puck drops at 7:30 pm MT.
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