Oilers can knock Kings out of playoffs again. Stars-Knights tied going into Game 5 after 4 road wins
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer
The Edmonton Oilers have won in these NHL playoffs with a couple of big-scoring games.
They got their latest victory when limited to 13 shots on net and with only one of those going in for a goal.
The versatile Oilers, who scored a combined 13 goals in the first two wins of their series against the Los Angeles Kings, are now back home Wednesday night with a chance to advance to the second round. Edmonton will take a fourth win in the best-of-seven series any way it can get it.
“Having in our portfolio that we can play a lot of different games is going to be huge here coming down the stretch,” Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “These games, we’re not afraid of them.”
After an extra day off since that 1-0 win on Sunday night for a 3-1 series lead, the Oilers will try to eliminate the Pacific Division rival Kings in the first round for the third year in a row when they play Game 5. Los Angeles has dropped its past four playoff series since being Stanley Cup champions 10 years ago.
The only other NHL game Wednesday night is Game 5 in Dallas, with the Stars and reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights tied 2-2. The road team has won every game in that series, with the Stars winning 4-2 on Monday night to sweep both games in Vegas after the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed lost twice at home last week.
“You look at the four games, I don’t think we’ve played a poor game yet,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “I thought the first two games in Dallas, (the Knights) were opportunistic in different situations. I loved Game 3, and for Game 4, you’re going to see their best, and I thought we were good considering the situation. So I’m excited about our group getting home.”
GOLDEN KNIGHTS at STARS, Series tied 2-2, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
This is now a best-of-three series, with the Dallas Stars having home-ice advantage — if that really is an advantage in this series.
After clinching the Western Conference Final in Game 6 last year in Dallas, Vegas won the first two games in this series there. The Knights are comfortable in American Airlines Center, where they also won their only two regular-season games before Christmas.
“Each team’s probably had their way in one of these games,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “But in general, here we are tied 2-2, all close games. So we have to be the team that makes the right plays the next game like we did there the last trip.”
The Stars have played the past three games without forwards Mason Marchment and Radek Faska after both left with undisclosed injuries in the third period of the series opener. They have been without big-bodied defender Jani Hakanpää since mid-March because of a lower-body injury.
Ty Dellandrea, a healthy scratch for the Stars their past two games at home, scored the game-winning goal in Game 4. He also didn’t play in the first two games of the West final against Vegas last year before scoring twice in the third period of Game 5 then after that game was tied.
“It’s two really good teams going at it,” Dellandra said about this series. ”We’ve kept going back and forth. It’s playoff hockey and it’s exciting.”
KINGS at OILERS, Edmonton leads 3-1, 10 p.m. ET (ESPN)
While enough to win, Edmonton’s 13 shots in Game 4 tied a franchise record for their fewest in a playoff game.
The Kings have never allowed fewer in the playoffs, and that gives them some confidence.
“We’re facing elimination. Last game was a pretty good indicator of what we need to do. We need to play in their zone and put them on their heels, be a lot hungrier around the net,” Kings captain Anze Kopitar said. “We just have to go and play our game. It’s win or go home, play desperate, with emotion and discipline and go from there.”
Special teams have been the difference in this series, and the only goal in Game 4 came on the Oilers’ lone chance with a man advantage. That was their eighth power-play goal, while Los Angeles is the only team in the postseason without one at 0 of 11.
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner has stopped 51 consecutive shots, including that 33-save Sunday for his first career playoff shutout.
Los Angeles interim coach Jim Hiller did not say who would start in net on Wednesday. David Rittich got the start in Game 4 and made 12 saves after Cam Talbot had a 5.31 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in the first three games.
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AP Sports Writers Mark Anderson in Las Vegas and Joe Reedy in Los Angeles, and The Canadian Press contributed to this story.
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
