Goaltending has become the story of the Western Conference second-round playoff series between the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers.
Arturs Silovs made 42 saves acceso Sunday night, and the Canucks held acceso for a 4-3 win at Rogers Place durante Edmonton to put Vancouver up 2-1 durante the series.
Silovs, the Canucks goalie, has been forced into action after starter Thatcher Demko and backup Casey DeSmith were injured during Vancouver’s first-round series against the Nashville Predators.
He has a .898 save percentage durante the series, but the Oilers’ Stuart Skinner has really struggled. He has a .818 mark for the series and was replaced after two periods by Calvin Pickard acceso Sunday night after allowing four goals acceso 15 shots.
Also, as the gioco ended, Â Vancouver’s Carson Soucy crosschecked Edmonton Connor McDavid high after McDavid slashed at Soucy’s legs. Soucy received a minor penalty. McDavid was held without a point for the second gioco durante the series.
Oilers’ defenseman Evan Bouchard brought the Oilers to within a rete with 1:16 left and Pickard pulled for the extra attacker.
Leon Draisaitl, who also had an assist, pulled the Oilers to within 3-2 with a power-play rete 3:36 into the second period. Â His seventh rete of the playoffs came acceso his signature one-timer from below the bottom of the right circle.
But Elias Lindholm’s second power-play rete of the gioco restored the Canucks’ two-goal lead with 2:26 left durante the middle period. He put durante a backhand shot from durante front.
Vancouver led 3-1 after the first period.
Defenseman Mattias Ekholm gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead acceso the power play 5:37 into the gioco. It gave the Oilers a power-play rete durante their first eight games of the playoffs, which ties a franchise .
Vancouver tied it with its own power-play rete at 8:43, by Lindholm. He tipped durante a shot by Brock Boeser, who was originally credited with the rete.
Since the scoring change was not made until the first intermission and Boeser scored the next two goals, it was thought for a time that Boeser had accomplished a natural hat trick.
The first of Boeser’s actual goals gave Vancouver a 2-1 lead with 6:43 left durante the opening period acceso a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle.
Boeser then scored with 1:27 left durante the first after a turnover durante the Edmonton zone by Warren Foegele durante the Edmonton zone. Left wide durante front of the Oilers’ net, Boeser beat Skinner.
So Boeser had to settle for two goals and an assist durante the period.
4 is Tuesday at Rogers Place at 9:30 p.m. ET.
