Ryan Nugent Hopkins collected one goal and one assist as the visiting Edmonton Oilers rode a three-goal second period to a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday to win Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
Cody Ceci and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers, while Evan Bouchard collected two assists and Leon Draisaitl added a helper, giving him at least one point in all 12 of Edmonton’s postseason games this season.
Stuart Skinner made 15 saves for the Oilers, who will face the Dallas Stars in a conference finals series that begins on Thursday.
Conor Garland and Filip Hronek replied for the Canucks, who had a 3-2 series lead but could not find the clincher. Goalie Arturs Silovs stopped 26 shots.
Vancouver was without top goal scorer Brock Boeser in the deciding game due to blood-clotting issues.
The Canucks failed to even register a single shot on goal during a late first-period four-minute power play and failed to convert their final 14 advantages of the series, and that proved to be a huge failing.
After a scoreless first period that saw the Oilers outshoot the hosts 13-2, Ceci finally opened the scoring 76 seconds into the second period. He wired a top-corner point shot for his second goal of the playoffs.
Hyman doubled the lead at 5:50 of the middle frame by deflecting Bouchard’s point shot for his 11th of the postseason.
Then Nugent-Hopkins notched a power-play at 15:22, just as the Canucks were finally gaining momentum, when he found the mark with a sharp-angled offering for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
The Canucks have posted a few thrilling comebacks and came close with another. Garland finally put the Canucks on the board with 8:33 remaining in regulation by taking advantage of a turnover in the slot and burying his third goal of the playoffs.
Then Hronek’s first career playoff goal, a seeing-eye point shot, made it a one-goal game with 4:36 on the clock.
However, Vancouver could not drum up the equalizer.
–Field Level Media
