May 29, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

The Edmonton Oilers have evened their series with the Dallas Stars after a thrilling 5-2 victory in Game 4 on Wednesday night. It was the Oilers’ turn to go down 2-0 early in the game. Wyatt Johnston scored on the first Stars shot of the game, and the Stars didn’t take much longer to get their second goal. The Oilers flipped the script from about the midway point of the first period onwards though. They had tied the game at two by the first intermission, and they went on to score five unanswered goals.

Call Outs

Brett Kulak got caught on a poor neutral zone read just under a minute into the game. Kulak chose to attack Jamie Benn when the puck was coming to Benn along the wall at the red line, but he thought better of it once Benn retreated to his own side of centre. Benn flipped the puck over Kulak’s head to a streaking Johnston who finished the scoring chance.

Stuart Skinner allowed a goal on the first shot of the game for the tenth time over the course of the 2023-24 regular season and playoffs. A tough bounce also beat him. He was otherwise solid in this game though.

Honestly, there wasn’t much to criticize from an Oilers standpoint in Game 4. The Oilers deserve criticism for the way that they started the game; but it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.

Stand Outs

I didn’t like Darnell Nurse’s pregame media availability on Wednesday, but he absolutely brought it once the puck dropped. His night got off to a terribly unfair start. Nurse was left to defend a two-on-one thanks to Kulak’s neutral zone misread, and the Stars scored on the rush. Nurse did a great job of boxing out Logan Stankoven, but a soft Esa Lindell point shot hit Nurse in the derriere and snuck in under Stuart Skinner’s blocker.

Nurse turned it on for the rest of the game though. He got an assist by cutting down the right wing and leaving a drop pass for Corey Perry. Nurse drove the net and took a Stars defender right into Jake Oettinger, which allowed Ryan McLeod to score. Nurse was actively jumping up into the rush and making things happen in the offensive zone. He blocked a shot on the penalty kill, and the Oilers scored a shorthanded goal as a result. Nurse also joined the rush on that play. Nurse was able to be involved offensively without sacrificing in the defensive end due to his elite skating ability. Head coach Kris Knoblauch praised Nurse’s ability to close space with his skating and his reach.

Not only did Nurse contribute offensively, but he delivered an eye popping TWELVE hits in Game 4 (which tied a career-high for Nurse)! No other Oilers defenceman had more than two hits. Twelve hits is more than twice the amount that any other Oiler had in this game.

What we saw in Game 4 was what Nurse brings when he is playing his best hockey, which is impactful play at both ends of the ice. He’s at his best when he’s joining the rush and being physical. That was a stand out performance, especially given the heat he has taken over the last couple of days for his play in these playoffs to date.

Related: Deep Dive: Nurse’s 2024 playoff struggles

Shoutouts

There aren’t many nights where Connor McDavid gets three assists and gets relegated to the “Shoutouts” section of this piece, but tonight is one of those nights.

McLeod was a healthy scratch for Game 3. He had been on the ice for a five-on-five goal against in each of his last four games. The message was well received because McLeod scored a goal to start the Oilers comeback in Game 4. This wasn’t just any goal for McLeod though. This goal was scored from the edge of the crease. McLeod takes a lot of heat for not being physical or getting to the dirty areas, but that’s where he went to score a goal in Game 4.

Perry got an assist on McLeod’s goal. This was his first game back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch in the previous five games. I thought the line of Perry, McLeod, and Leon Draisaitl was fantastic in this game.

Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark teamed up for a massive game winning short handed goal. It was a two-on-one, and Brown made what he called a “shit burger” of a pass to Janmark. Janmark was able to finish the pass even though it was placed just off his front foot and he had to adjust a little bit to make the play. The Oilers penalty kill has now killed off 23 consecutive penalties and outscored their opponents 1-0 on those penalties. Brown and Janmark are big parts of the penalty killing unit that is en fuego right now.

Finally, Philip Broberg made his 2024 playoff debut in Game 4. This was his first career Western Conference Final appearance. His stat line was full of zeroes, but I view that as a positive for a young defenceman that was thrown into the fight in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

Wrap

What a wild series this is becoming! Both games in Edmonton featured one team getting out to an early 2-0 lead and then losing the game. Both teams have had spurts of dominant play in every game of the series. The thing I really liked about the Oilers’ game in Game 4 was that they played a strong third period where they continued to play hockey rather than just sitting back and defending

It’s now a best of three series that heads back to Dallas for Game 5 on Friday night.

Related: Call Outs, Stand Outs, and Shoutouts: Stars retake home ice advantage with Game 3 win