CONGRATUTIONS! Edmonton Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars 5-2 in Game 4, evening the Western Conference final series, Keys to the Game; See More
Kris Knoblauch was worried about how the game might turn out. As the Edmonton coach watched his team’s slow start against Dallas in Game 4 of the NHL’s Western Conference final at Rogers Place, he was concerned.
Down 2-1 in the series, the Oilers found themselves trailing 2-0, without even a shot on goal midway through the first period on Wednesday. “It didn’t look very good,” Knoblauch admitted.
But despite the tough situation, Edmonton was not ready to give up. They had experienced momentum swings in the series before, like blowing a 2-0 lead in Game 3. Slowly, the Oilers started to push back.
They tied the game before the first period ended and didn’t crack under the pressure from the Stars. Now, with the series tied, both teams are fighting for a spot in the Stanley Cup final in a best-of-three showdown.
Mattias Janmark and Leon Draisaitl scored within a minute in the second period, helping the Oilers secure a 5-2 victory. Draisaitl described the team’s start as “a little sleepy,” but they managed to find their rhythm and play their game.
Janmark’s goal on a short-handed 2-on-1 break, followed by Draisaitl’s 10th of the postseason, turned the tide for Edmonton. The series now moves to Game 5 in Dallas on Friday night.
Despite Dallas taking an early 2-0 lead, Edmonton fought back with goals from Ryan McLeod and Evan Bouchard in the first period. Stuart Skinner made crucial saves for the Oilers, while Wyatt Johnson and Esa Lindell scored for Dallas early in the game.
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The time is here for Oilers captain Connor McDavid to cement legacy
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He’s called the Best Player in the World.
Relax — I mean of Wayne Gretzky. Though the nickname McJesus is still bandied about all these years later.
And through it all, the statistics, highlight reels, comparisons, league awards and everything else you can possibly think of keep piling up.
Everything except, of course, for the one thing that matters most. The one thing that every legend worth their pound of salt has in common. The thing that separates the good from the great. And if you don’t have one, you’ll never really become part of the club.
Multiple Cups would be nice, but you really only need one. Win one and you become a champ. And no matter what else happens, no one can ever take that away from you.
Who knows what might happen in the future?
For now, all we know for sure is this is the best chance McDavid has ever had at winning the one thing that has eluded him for the past eight years. And if he wants to have a chance to change that, it all comes down to this best of three.
Just don’t think about it too much.