Zach Hyman scored the game-winning goal with Edmonton short-handed midway through the third period, and the Oilers evened their Western Conference semifinal series with a 5-3 road victory over the Calgary Flames on Friday.
The best-of-seven Battle of Alberta is tied 1-1 going into Sunday’s Game 3 in Edmonton.
With the score tied 3-3, Hyman was sprung on a breakaway and lifted a glove-side shot with 9:46 remaining in regulation to collect his fifth goal of the playoffs.
Two minutes later, Leon Draisaitl added another breakaway tally, sprung by goaltender Mike Smith, his seventh marker of the playoffs to cap a three-point outing.
Duncan Keith and Connor McDavid each added one goal and one assist for the Oilers, and Evan Bouchard also scored. Smith made 37 saves in a bounce-back performance from the opener, a 9-6 Calgary win.
Michael Stone, Brett Ritchie and Tyler Toffoli replied for the Flames. Johnny Gaudreau had two assists, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 35 shots.
The Flames blew a 3-1 lead and have now dropped 13 consecutive Game 2 clashes in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Reminiscent of the opener, the Flames burst out of the blocks again with a pair of early goals. Stone converted a point-shot blast at 3:02 of the first period for his second goal of the playoffs, and Ritchie doubled the lead with his second tally in as many games on a rebound at 6:02 mark.
Keith put the Oilers on the board at 13:38 of the opening period, coming in from the point to convert McDavid’s one-handed pass for his first goal of the playoffs. At 38 years, 308 days, Keith is the oldest player in Oilers history to score a postseason goal.
Toffoli’s power-play goal restored Calgary’s two-goal edge, a one-timer set up by Elias Lindholm’s cross-ice pass at 2:04 of the second period.
However, McDavid responded 61 seconds later to make it a 3-2 affair. Seconds after a tally was disallowed because McDavid made contact with the goalie, the Oilers captain was sprung alone in the slot and converted a deke from in tight for his sixth goal of the playoffs.
Then, while the Oilers were enjoying a four-minute power play, Bouchard’s point shot tied the affair at 15:03 of the second frame.
–Field Level Media