After a disappointing loss in Game 3, the Edmonton Oilers were looking to get back on the right track on Monday night at Rogers Place in Game 4. What I didn’t expect, however, was that the Oilers would put down as complete a performance as we could have ever hoped for in a lopsided 3-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

STUART SKINNER SHUTOUT

I was tough on Stuart Skinner after Game 3. Even though I thought it was unfair that he wore most of the blame for that loss, I also thought he didn’t do much to help his cause in the court of public opinion. I thought there were goals he’d want back, and I also didn’t like his positioning on what ended up as the game winner with .4 left on the clock. It was a tough one. So, it’s only fair that I give him his flowers after what was a fantastic night between the pipes in Game 4. While he wasn’t nearly as busy as his counterpart, Skinner was called upon more than a few times to come up with a big save at a critical juncture in the game. He was the foundation of that win.

There were shots from in tight, a breakaway or two, and more than a handful of rebound chances that would have wound up in the net had Skinner not been dialled in. Instead, he was square to the shooters, dialled in, and gave the Golden Knights nothing. It was the kind of night we had all been yearning for from Stu, and one that had to feel pretty damned good after all the heat the guy’s been taking over the last 48 hours. While Skinner said in his post-game presser that he ignores the noise, the guy is from Edmonton and knows precisely how much the Oilers mean to this city, and I couldn’t be happier for the guy that he turned in a perfect performance on a night when we needed him most. What a night for No. 74.

ADAM HENRIQUE, COME ON DOWN

The magic of this year’s playoff run is how the Oilers keep getting goals from throughout the lineup at points when we desperately need the offence, and Game 4 was Adam Henrique’s turn to be the hero. On only his first shift of the game, Henrique opened the scoring with a snipe from the slot that beat Adin Hill on the glove-hand side after Connor Brown found him wide-open with all the time in the world. His second came just under 12 minutes later on a scramble play near the crease that saw Henrique put his stick between his legs before flipping the puck up and over the goaltender, spotting Edmonton a two-goal lead that ended up as more than enough to get the job done.

I love how the depth on this Oilers team has absolute weapons like Henrique wading on the third line. While the 2024-25 season wasn’t his best statistical campaign by any stretch, this is still a guy with seven 20-goal seasons on his resume, and that skill was on full display last night at Rogers Place. It was like he was waiting for his moment to be the hero, and he capitalized on the chance with gusto. On a night when Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl produced only a single point between them, it was the Oilers’ depth that stepped up again, and Uncle Rico was the latest weapon to pop timely goals and power the team to victory. Handsome and talented, is there anything Adam Henrique can’t do?

EVANDER KANE WAS A MENACE

When we found out Evander Kane was going to be ready for the playoffs, I was hopeful that he’d feel good enough to cause some chaos, even if it took some time for his hands to get acclimatized to game speed again. My theory was that having an entire season off to recover would allow his body to feel its best since before Pat Maroon stepped on his arm, and that he would at least be able to contribute physically. What I didn’t expect was that Kane would step back on the ice and look like he hadn’t missed a step. What I didn’t expect was that he’d be taking over games on the scoreboard and in the trenches. I mean, the guy has been so effective in the nine games he’s played that having him back is a gift that just keeps paying out.

And while Kane has played well every night since coming back, I’d argue that Game 4 was his best yet. Even with the goal and assist next to his name, he factored in on all three goals even though he didn’t get credit on the scoresheet. It was the kind of power-forward performance that is almost impossible for the opposition to deal with, and there was no better example than when he was pushed into Adin Hill in the seconds following Henriques’ second goal, causing a melee in the corner that nearly blew the roof off of Rogers Place. Kane was in his element, and no one in one of those horrible yellow jerseys was going to do anything about it. Kane was a menace nearly every shift he got, and Vegas didn’t have much of an answer for what he brought to the table. There were hits, there were scrums, there was the goal, and ultimately, a night that showed Evander Kane can still be one of the most impactful forwards in the NHL.

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