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The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
Jack Campbell appreciated getting an opportunity to enter the crease as his Edmonton Oilers rallied to defeat the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series Sunday night.
Campbell came on in relief of Stuart Skinner, who allowed three goals on 11 shots before getting the hook after 20 minutes in Edmonton's 5-4 overtime victory.
"It's a nice win, nice to get a shot, and (I'm) just happy for the guys," Campbell said postgame. "Stu's been playing great when he's been in there. We had a tough first (period), but everybody bounced back, and (it) feels good."
The Kings stormed out to a 3-0 lead after the opening frame, but the Oilers responded with three goals of their own in the second. Los Angeles defenseman Matt Roy gave his team a 4-3 lead early in the third period, but Evander Kane tied it late in regulation before Zach Hyman won it in overtime to even the series at two games apiece.
Oilers star Leon Draisaitl scored two of the three goals in the second period, finding the back of the net twice in a span of just over 10 minutes. He's been on the ice for all 14 goals Edmonton has scored in the series. The German forward praised Campbell's performance postgame.
"Really, really good," Draisaitl said. "Not an easy situation, (it) hasn't been an easy year for him. But the way he showed up (Sunday night) was really, really great, and we're very fortunate to have him."
Campbell turned aside all but one of 28 shots after entering the contest. The 31-year-old was outplayed by Skinner during the regular season, but the younger netminder has been a bit inconsistent in these playoffs, going 1-2 with an .881 save percentage in four games.
Skinner had grabbed Edmonton's No. 1 job from Campbell and held it for the balance of the regular season. Skinner provided stability in goal for the Oilers in what was technically his rookie campaign, posting a .914 save percentage in 50 regular-season games.
Campbell was expected to be the unquestioned starter heading into the season because the Oilers signed him to a five-year, $25-million deal as a free agent last July. But the veteran was uneven out of the gate and ultimately posted a paltry .888 save percentage over 36 games - his worst mark in any season in which he played more than a single game - before these playoffs.
Game 5 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday night in Edmonton.
Justin Braun called it a career Monday after playing more than a decade in the NHL.
The 36-year-old defenseman suited up for 13 seasons in the league, including nine with the San Jose Sharks, who traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers in June 2019.
Braun spent parts of four campaigns with the Flyers in two separate stints, rejoining them for his final season in 2022-23 after Philadelphia dealt him to the New York Rangers at last season's trade deadline.
The Minnesota-born blue-liner was known more for his defensive play than his offensive production, topping out at a career-high 33 points with the Sharks in 2017-18. He was part of several playoff runs with San Jose, helping the club reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2016.
Braun collected 34 goals and 165 assists over 842 regular-season games. He also played 119 postseason contests, including 84 with the Sharks.
The Edmonton Oilers rebounded on the road Sunday, erasing a large deficit to stun the Los Angeles Kings 5-4 in overtime and tie their first-round playoff clash at two wins apiece. The series is a best-of-three now, and the answers to these Oilers-centric questions will decide which team prevails.
Will Hyman, Kane, RNH step up again?
Andrew Bernstein / NHL / Getty Images
Besides Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid, five Oilers players have fired the puck past Joonas Korpisalo in the series. Evan Bouchard, Klim Kostin, and Derek Ryan all got on the board before Game 4, during which Zach Hyman saved Edmonton from facing elimination and Evander Kane resembled the shooter who menaced the Kings a year ago.
Upstaging Jonathan Quick, Korpisalo's predecessor in the L.A. net, Kane potted seven goals in the Oilers' Round 1 triumph in 2022. Hyman scored twice in that series and added nine tallies over the rest of Edmonton's playoff run. This year, Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins both obliterated their previous season highs in goals and assists.
Quieted for a few games, the stars of Edmonton's supporting cast finally broke out Sunday. Nugent-Hopkins fed Draisaitl in the slot to set up his power-play goal. Kane's equalizer in the third period exposed Korpisalo's glove hand. The Kings outchanced the Oilers 18-10 in Hyman's five-on-five shifts, per Natural Stat Trick, but Bouchard's pinpoint outlet pass in overtime sprung him to beat Korpisalo through the goalie's blocking arm.
It's vital they keep producing. L.A.'s Adrian Kempe (three goals in the series) remains an Edmonton killer. Alex Iafallo, Gabriel Vilardi, and Trevor Moore have provided additional scoring. Viktor Arvidsson has dished four assists, all of them in clutch moments. By supporting Anze Kopitar, the Kings' offensive fulcrum, these players compensated for the absence of point-per-night dynamo Kevin Fiala through the first three games.
Can Oilers triumph on special teams?
Andrew Bernstein / NHL / Getty Images
Edmonton's record-setting power play paces the playoffs in efficiency. The Oilers have scored on six of 11 chances throughout the series (54.5%), dwarfing their own 32.4% regular-season conversion rate that made NHL history. Bouchard's bomb from the point and Draisaitl's short-side snipe keyed Edmonton's three-goal comeback Sunday.
L.A.'s power play has clicked on five of 17 attempts (29.4%). Avoidable stick infractions have put Edmonton a man down before every crushing goal the Kings have scored, including the tying tallies in Games 1 and 3 and each of L.A.'s subsequent overtime game-winners. Draisaitl might regret slashing Drew Doughty during a goal celebration if the Oilers don't advance.
The Kings are equipped for this battleground. Their power play ranked fourth in the NHL this season. Only six teams league-wide drew more penalties. Arvidsson's seam passes have eluded Oilers sticks and caused trouble throughout the series for Stuart Skinner, who yielded the net to Jack Campbell in Sunday's first intermission after Kopitar deked him during five-on-four play.
If Edmonton is to pull ahead, leveling the penalty differential is imperative. McDavid has drawn a series-high three minors, and he's done damage when L.A. visits the sin bin: Both of his goals came on the power play 100 seconds apart in Game 3 when he ripped wristers past Korpisalo from the left faceoff circle.
Will McDavid burn L.A.'s defense?
Harry How / Getty Images
A lot of the offense McDavid creates stems from his charges into the offensive zone. Handling the puck on a string, the Oilers captain dangles defenders at top speed to create space to score. To emerge unscathed from those terrifying sequences, a team has to get sticks and bodies - ideally five at a time - in his way.
The opposing goalie is the last line of defense. Korpisalo, whose save percentage for the series remains solid at .918, has denied all 11 of McDavid's shots at even strength. Some were tuck-in attempts off solo rushes that would have expanded McDavid's highlight reel.
Poised and fleet of foot, the Kings' defensemen have mostly stayed in sync with each other and in front of McDavid when he pressures them in transition. The notable exception was Mikey Anderson in Game 1. Kempe and Kopitar slipped up late in regulation of Game 4, letting McDavid gain the zone and sneak the puck through their sticks to facilitate Kane's equalizer.
McDavid's 30:22 of ice time on Sunday led the team and was his highest mark this season. Edmonton has effectively played with 10 forwards in back-to-back games, scratching one more than usual and benching Kostin for prolonged stretches. For the first time in the series, head coach Jay Woodcroft deployed McDavid with Draisaitl throughout Game 4, and the Oilers outscored the Kings 3-0 during their shared five-on-five minutes.
Can Edmonton sustain a lead?
Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
No lead is safe in this series.
The Oilers bagged two rapid goals to open Game 1 but failed to preserve the advantage and fell short in OT. Edmonton squandered another 2-0 edge in Game 2 before Kostin's third-period winner made the difference. Game 3, the first contest to see the Kings hold a lead, went back and forth until Moore struck in sudden death. The clubs exchanged three-goal periods in Game 4 to set the stage for Hyman's heroics.
Like most teams, the Oilers rarely lose when they score first (32-8-4 in the regular season for a .773 points percentage) or lead entering the third frame (34-1-5, .913). They ranked first in the NHL in both first-period goals (1.12 per game) and second-period tallies (1.56 per game). Controlling the game from wire to wire, as they're capable of doing, reduces angst and demoralizes the opponent.
Composed and dogged, the Kings don't fret when they start slow, trail late, or lose a lead at any point. Coolheadedness helped them rally to tie the opener, tighten up in Game 3 following McDavid's power-play eruption, and score in two of three overtime sessions.
The Oilers laughed last on Sunday. If they net the icebreaker in Game 5, maybe they'll maintain the lead this time and push L.A. to the brink.
It's safe to say Marcus Foligno wasn't a fan of the officiating in the Minnesota Wild's Game 4 loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
Referees handed Foligno two penalties in the contest, with both leading to power-play goals for Stars forward Tyler Seguin in what ended up a 3-2 defeat for the Wild.
"It's a joke. It doesn't make any sense," Foligno said postgame, according to The Athletic's Michael Russo. "I go to hit a guy who touches the puck. It's not interference. I go, I get high-sticked in the face. It's not a tripping call when you hit a guy clean on. It's bullshit."
First, Foligno was called for interference on Jani Hakanpaa in the second period.
Foligno added that he believes the Stars may have gotten to the officials by complaining about penalty minutes.
"There's just something to be talked about, the physicality part of it. I just feel like it's a little bit chintzy right now," Foligno said. "It doesn't make any sense. This is playoff hockey. You go and hit a guy, and it's not illegal. It's clean, and you're getting called to the penalty box. I don't know. I think, in that sense, maybe they got to them before we did."
Wild head coach Dean Evason wasn't looking to dwell on the calls during his postgame press conference.
"Everyone in the hockey world watched that game. We all know what happened," Evason said, per Bally Sports North. "I'm not going to comment on them. We have our opinions, but what's the point? I hope you can all write about it and talk about it, but there's no point in whining about it now. They're gone."
Evason butted heads earlier in the series with his counterpart, Stars bench boss Pete DeBoer. Evason accused Stars players of diving before DeBoer countered by pointing out the Wild's lack of discipline.
The series shifts back to Dallas for Game 5 on Tuesday tied at two apiece.
The Los Angeles Kings are getting star forward Kevin Fiala back in the lineup for Sunday's Game 4 of their opening-round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers.
A lower-body injury had sidelined Fiala since April 1, with the winger sitting out the final six contests of the Kings' regular season and the first three playoff games.
He also missed time in March following a knee-on-knee collision with Colorado Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano.
Fiala represented Los Angeles at the All-Star Game in February. He ranked second on the team with 72 points (23 goals, 49 assists) in 69 regular-season games.
He's amassed nine goals and six assists in 35 career playoff contests as a member of the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild.
This is Fiala's first season in Los Angeles after the Kings acquired him from the Wild in the offseason for defenseman Brock Faber and a first-round pick. He signed a seven-year, $55.125-million extension shortly after the swap.
Los Angeles currently holds a 2-1 series lead over the Oilers.
The Boston Bruins put a stranglehold on their first-round matchup against the Florida Panthers after winning 6-2 in Sunday's Game 4 to claim a 3-1 series lead.
Jake DeBrusk enjoyed a two-goal performance, including an insurance tally before the midway mark of the final frame. Tyler Bertuzzi netted the eventual game-winner with a masterful tip early in the third period.
Taylor Hall led the way with a four-point night and delivered the final dagger with an emphatic breakaway tally to put the game out of reach.
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) April 23, 2023
The contest didn't lack drama in the final minutes. Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark attempted to drop the gloves with talented Panthers pest Matthew Tkachuk, but the officials weren't having it.
Bruins' goalie Linus Ullmark just dropped the gloves 👀
The Florida Panthers look a little different for Game 4 against the Boston Bruins on Sunday.
Aaron Ekblad was scratched due to injury. The defenseman was hurt while colliding with Bruins blue-liner Charlie McAvoy in Game 3.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told reporters Saturday that Ekblad was "feeling much better" before listing him as a game-time decision.
Meanwhile, Sergei Bobrovsky got the nod in goal for the Panthers. The veteran netminder didn't start the first three games of the series, but he did replace starter Alex Lyon in Game 3, which Florida lost 4-2 to go down 2-1 in the first-round playoff series.
Florida turned to Lyon over the last few weeks of the regular season. The 30-year-old posted a 9-4-2 record with a .914 save percentage and 2.89 goals against average.
Bobrovsky's last start prior to Game 4 came on March 27, when he allowed four goals on 26 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
The veteran netminder owned a .901 clip and 3.07 goals against average in 50 appearances during the regular season. Bobrovsky has an all-time record of 17-29-0 in the playoffs.
