May 11, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

The Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks alternated goals on their way to overtime, but the Oilers ultimately prevailed with a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 2.

The teams exchanged powerplay goals in the first period. The Canucks had a 3-2 lead after two periods thanks to a Brock Boeser tip-in goal and a sharp angle shot from unlikely sniper Nikita Zadorov. The Oilers dominated the third period though. They outshot the Canucks 15-2 and found a way to force overtime.

Call Outs

Credit to Zadorov for his shot, but that’s one that Stuart Skinner will want back. The hole above his shoulder is one that many goaltenders leave open because of their technique, but there was no need for Skinner to have gone down while Zadorov was still above the goal line.

I also didn’t love how Cody Ceci played Zadorov on that goal. He gave Zadorov too much space. I don’t think he was expecting the big defenceman to take that shot, but Ceci needed to respect the shot there. 

Stand Outs

Connor McDavid failed to record a shot in a playoff game for the first time in his career in Game 1, but he more than made up for it in Game 2.  McDavid had himself a four-point night, and he spent most of the night in the offensive zone wreaking havoc on the Canucks. The highlight of his night was a breakaway goal off a broken play at the defensive blue line. McDavid timed his rush perfectly, and he made no mistake on the finish. McDavid came up with a signature magical moment when the team needed it most. He added three assists.

Leon Draisaitl missed the last eight minutes and change of the second period in Game 1, and he looked limited in the third period. He looked fine tonight though. Draisaitl also had a four-point night. He got the Oilers on the board with a powerplay goal to counteract the powerplay goal scored by the Canucks earlier in the first period, and he added three assists.

McDavid and Draisaitl both recorded their 90th points of their playoff careers in Game 2. They reached 90 points in just 56 games. Only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux did it faster.

Shout Outs

Evan Bouchard gets to ride in the front seat on the way back to the hotel tonight because scored the overtime winner. He led both teams in ice time with 29:59. Bouchard was on the ice for both Oilers five-on-five goals, had an astounding 90.48% scoring chance for percentage at five-on-five (19-2), and a ridiculous 84.21% shot share (16-3).

Bouchard’s defence partner Mattias Ekholm also had a wonderful game. He scored a massive goal to tie the game at two just twenty three seconds after the Canucks had taken the lead. Ekholm was only on the ice for one even strength shot against (16-1, 94.12%). ONE! Ekholm also had a scoring chance percentage of 90% (18-2).

The five-man unit of McDavid, Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Bouchard, and Ekholm was unbelievable in this game. That group carried the Oilers to victory in Game 2. Draisaitl was moved up to the top line because he was banged up after Game 1. Loading up the top line like that makes the team less deep, but that five-man unit is without question the most dangerous unit the Oilers can ice. I would argue that it’s the most dangerous five-man unit in the entire league.

Wrap

That was a much better effort from the Oilers than what we saw in Game 1. The Oilers deviated from their usual tight zone defence scheme and played more of a man defence in Game 1. That’s a recipe for disaster for this team. They were much more disciplined with their structure in Game 2.

This was a huge mental test for the Oilers after blowing a three-goal lead in Game 1. The train went off the rails in the third period in Game 1, but they got back on track in Game 2. This was a positive response from the Oilers. They found a way to steal home ice away from the Canucks. The Oilers are now 7-2 in Game 2s after losing a Game 1 in the McDavid era.

The series will shift to Edmonton for Game 3 on Sunday.

Related: Call Outs, Stand Outs, and Shout Outs – Game 1: Battle for Canada Begins