Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers scored three first-period goals and never looked back en route to a 4-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights to knot their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series at two games apiece.

Nick Bjugstad opened the scoring at 6:46 of the first period before Evan Bouchard followed up with a power-play goal 52 seconds later.

Bouchard has simply been sensational in the playoffs, as this list suggests.

Mattias Ekholm added the third score at 13:30. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his first playoff goal to make it 4-0 at 14:45 in the second period.

Nicolas Roy got one back for Vegas in the third, but it was too little and too late for the Golden Knights, who could not overcome the early hole.

Connor McDavid registered two assists to give himself 12 helpers for the playoffs. Nugent-Hopkins also had two points thanks to an assist on the Bouchard goal.

The end of the game got very chippy, with Vegas' Alex Pietrangelo delivering an overt two-handed slash on Leon Draisaitl, leading to a game misconduct:

The game ended in fisticuffs, but it also culminated in a huge Edmonton victory.

Both teams have run hot and cold in this series. Vegas started with a 6-4 win in Game 1 before Edmonton destroyed the Golden Knights 5-1 in Game 2. However, Vegas then returned the favor with a 5-1 victory of its own in Game 3.

Wednesday marked Edmonton's time to shine as the league's top-scoring offense showcased its talents. Credit goes to the defense and goaltending as well as Edmonton holding Vegas to just one goal for the second time in four games.

However, the story here was Edmonton jumping on Vegas early with a trio of goals, and Twitter recognized the Oilers' tremendous efforts.

Game 5 will take place in Las Vegas on Friday at 10 p.m. ET.

On a night that felt like a must-win on their home ice, the Edmonton Oilers sorely missed a signature Connor McDavid performance.

McDavid, widely regarded as the best player in the NHL and who has had a tremendous postseason thus far, was contained by the Vegas Golden Knights in a 5-1 loss at Rogers Place on Monday night.

Coming off a three-point performance in Edmonton's Game 2 win in Las Vegas, McDavid couldn't conjure up much magic as his team was dominated throughout all three periods.

Things looked good for the Oilers to start things off as Warren Foegele gave them the early lead, but it wouldn't last long. Vegas' Jonathan Marchessault responded nearly two minutes later to even the score and got a second one right before the end of the first period to give the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead.

The second period was where things got really ugly for the home team as Vegas got a goal each from Zach Whitecloud, Jack Eichel and Chandler Stephenson.

Meanwhile, it seemed like everyone in the arena was waiting for McDavid and the rest of the squad to get things going, but that moment never came.

It wasn't too difficult of a night for Vegas goalie Adin Hill, who had to step in for starter Laurent Brossoit after he left the game in the first period with an injury following a save against McDavid.

Hill performed admirably, saving all 25 shots he faced.

NHL Twitter was tough on McDavid and the Oilers for their off-night.

Now, the Golden Knights have stolen home-ice advantage and hold a 2-1 series lead over Edmonton. All the pressure in the world will be on the Oilers and McDavid to come up with a big response in Game 4 to avoid falling into a dangerous 3-1 series deficit.

It's time for the world's best hockey player to have another masterclass.

Game 4 of the series is set for Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.

Having two of the best hockey players in the world has its perks.

The Edmonton Oilers started hot and finished strong, earning a 5-1 Game 2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the Western Conference, evening the series at 1-1.

The visiting Oilers' strong response to a 6-4 Game 1 loss was needed, as many were frustrated that the team wasted a four-goal performance from Leon Draisaitl.

The German star was excellent again in Game 2, scoring twice more to give him 13 total playoff goals on this run. The mark ties him with Nathan MacKinnon and Evander Kane's league-leading totals from last season.

Connor McDavid, the likely league MVP, did not let Draisaitl get all of the the glory. He chipped in two goals and an assist in the victory.

Evan Bouchard chipped in the other goal for Edmonton, and Stuart Skinner made 30 saves in the cage.

This performance from the team's two stars shows how dynamic they can be when they take control of games. Fans on Twitter showed their appreciation for the duo.

The win allows Edmonton to return home with an even series and a chance to take a 3-1 lead before traveling back to Vegas for Game 5. They are 2-1 at Rogers Place in the playoffs and were 23-12-6 during the regular season.

Game 3 is scheduled for Monday at 7:30 E.T.

The Edmonton Oilers announced Thursday that 1990 Stanley Cup champion Petr Klíma died at the age of 58.

Klíma, who was born in Czechoslovakia, spent 13 seasons in the NHL, including four campaigns as a member of the Oilers.

He is best known for his triple-overtime goal in Game 1 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Final against the Boston Bruins, which was the catalyst for Edmonton's 4-1 series win.

Klíma was originally a fifth-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1983 NHL draft, and he went on to make his NHL debut during the 1985-86 season.

In the midst of his fifth season with the Red Wings, Klíma was traded to the Oilers along with Adam Graves, Joe Murphy and Jeff Sharples for Jimmy Carson, Kevin McClelland and a fifth-round draft pick.

The move paid immediate dividends for Edmonton, as Klíma quickly established himself as one of the Oilers' best secondary scorers behind stars Mark Messier, Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson.

Despite playing in just 63 regular-season games for Edmonton after the trade, Klíma was sixth on the team in scoring with 53 points, and he scored five goals during the Oilers' playoff run, including the OT winner in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

After leaving Edmonton in 1993, Klima bounced around between the Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins over the next several seasons before returning to play for both the Oilers and Red Wings.

He scored 30 or more goals in a season six times, including a career-high 40 with the Oilers in 1990-91. In all, Klíma appeared in 786 career NHL regular-season games, recording 313 goals and 260 assists for 573 points before retiring in 1999.

To date, the Oilers have not won another Stanley Cup since Klíma played a sizable role in them winning their fifth Cup in seven years in 1990.

Leon Draisaitl's historic performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals was wasted by the Edmonton Oilers in a 6-4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old had the 41st postseason game with at least four goals in NHL playoff history. His scoring outburst came one day after Dallas Stars captain Joe Pavelski also scored four times against the Colorado Avalanche.

Connor McDavid assisted on two of Draisaitl's goals. The Oilers' dynamic duo spent more than 24 minutes on the ice in the game, but their efforts were for naught.

Fans offered their sympathy for Draisaitl doing everything he could to carry the team in a losing effort for Edmonton.

The 2022-23 Oilers had one of the franchise's best seasons. Their 109 points during the regular season tied for the fourth-most in club history. They won 50 games for the first time since 1986-87 when Wayne Gretzky won his eighth consecutive Hart Trophy.

McDavid is almost certain to win his third career MVP award after leading the league in goals (64), assists (89) and points (153).

Draisaitl would be a strong candidate in many other years after racking up a career-high 128 points. He's already got 15 points in just seven playoff games after Wednesday's showing.

The biggest concern for the Oilers in the playoffs was on display in Game 1 against the Golden Knights. They ranked 17th in goals allowed during the regular season (260).

Stuart Skinner is 24 years old in his first postseason, and it has shown in his performance. He has allowed at least two goals in each of his seven starts and at least four three different times.

Edmonton has the offensive firepower to overcome some of the goaltending deficiencies, but Skinner can't keep giving up points at this rate for the team to make a deep playoff run.

Draisaitl, McDavid and the Oilers will look to even the series against the Golden Knights in Game 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

The Los Angeles Kings are looking into allegations that a fan spit on a 10-year-old Edmonton Oilers supporter in a Crypto.com Arena restroom during Game 3 of the team's Western Conference first-round playoff series, per TMZ Sports.

Edmonton Oilers left wing Evander Kane brought the allegations to light in an Instagram story in support of Oilers fan Cecily Eklund, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2019 and has since raised nearly $100,000 in support of children with cancer.

Eklund and her sister attended the Oilers at Kings game last Friday through the Ben Stelter Fund.

"I'm disgusted and appalled at what happened to this amazing little girl in the stands and in a women's restroom where she was harassed for wearing her jersey and was spit on by a LA fan for doing so," Kane said in part.

"This type of behavior is gross and completely unacceptable. For any young girl especially someone battling cancer to be treated in such a manner is completely pathetic. Grow up and as this smart lady always says BE KIND!"

Eklund alluded to mistreatment from fans in an IG post.

"Watching hockey in LA is lots different than watching hockey in Canada," Eklund wrote.

"Edmonton fans are very different. I think if we can choose to be anything, we should choose to be kind. Thank you @edmontonoilers and @evanderkane for still making the game special for me and my little sister."

Cathy Eklund, Cecily's mother, spoke with Stephanie Swensrude of 630 CHED about the family's experience.

"L.A. was definitely a hostile environment," Eklund said.

"There was a fight just two rows in front of Cecily, she was spit on, sworn at.

"It wasn't the best experience, but it's also very important to remember that a couple fans don't represent the whole fanbase."

Kings senior vice-president of marketing, communications and content Mike Altieri said the team looked into the incident after seeing reports on social media.

"Unfortunately the incident was not reported to security," Altieri mentioned. "That being said, we are certainly concerned with the behaviour and incident, assuming it is all true."

Since news of the alleged incident went public, Kings fans have donated over $7,000 to Cecily's Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation page by around 4 p.m. Tuesday, per Swensrude.

Kane and Eklund met during an Oilers game while the Edmonton star was out because of injury and watching the team from the press box. The two have remained close, and Kane shared their story in a conversation with Gene Principe of Sportsnet last February.

Eklund and her mother will be at Game 5 on Tuesday in Edmonton. It's a pivotal matchup in the best-of-seven series, which is tied at two games apiece.

"(Cecily is) doing good and just knowing so many people are supporting her is just absolutely wonderful," Eklund told Swensrude.

Connor McDavid is built different.

The Edmonton Oilers superstar became just the sixth player in NHL history to hit 150 points, and the first since Mario Lemieux in the 1995-96 season for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who scored 161 points that season.

McDavid joined Wayne Gretzky—who scored 160 or more points in a season nine times during his career, an astonishing achievement—Lemieux (four times), Phil Esposito, Steve Yzerman and Bernie Nicholls.

The 26-year-old has a whopping 63 goals and 87 assists this season. Both marks lead the NHL, while his teammate Leon Draisaitl is second in points with 123. Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is eighth at 100 points for the year. Only eight players have hit triple-digit points this season.