Instant Reaction +15.0: Oilers one win from Stanley Cup Final after Game 4 victory over Stars

The Stars tied the game in the second period while Corey Perry was in the box. Jason Robertson, who scored the lone goal for Dallas in Game 3, took a pass from Thomas Harley and sniped a shot over Stuart Skinner’s blocker side.

A couple of minutes after the Stars tied the game, Mason Marchment was called for interference, sending the Oilers back on the man advantage. Perry was immediately able to get payback for the previous goal that was scored while he was in the box, tapping in a pass from Nugent-Hopkins on the doorstep to make the score 2-1.

The Oilers slammed the door in the third period, holding Dallas to only four shots in the final frame while the Stars tried to tie the score. Edmonton buried two insurance goals into the empty net when Jake Oettinger was pulled, the first from Kasperi Kapanen and the second from Adam Henrique.

Takeaways from Game 4…

• Stuart Skinner was excellent again for the Oilers. After allowing five goals in the loss in Game 1, Skinner allowed only two goals between Games 2 and 4. The Edmonton native has a .939 save percentage in the Western Conference Final and is the biggest reason why the Oilers have a 3-1 lead in the series.
• The difference in Game 4 came down to special teams. Both teams had only eight high-danger scoring chances while at five-on-five. Edmonton’s first two goals came on the power play, and the Stars scored their only goal with the man advantage. The Oilers scored on two of their three opportunities while killing off three of four power plays the Stars had.
• The only downside of this win for the Oilers was that Zach Hyman was injured in the first period and didn’t return to the game. The winger was clipped up high by Mason Marchment while carrying the puck out of the defensive zone. If Hyman isn’t available to play in Game 5, it could potentially lead the Oilers to go 11/7 with their lineup, as Mattias Ekholm is nearing a return from injury.
• The series will now shift back to Dallas for Game 5. A win for the Oilers would send them back to the Stanley Cup Final, while a win for the Stars would keep them alive for another game in Edmonton on the weekend. Teams with a 3-1 series lead have gone on to win that series 91 percent of the time in NHL history. Can the Oilers get the job done on the road? We’ll see on Thursday night.