EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-1 Wednesday night to even their second-round playoff series at two games apiece.
Nick Bjugstad, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm also scored as the Oilers built a four-goal lead in the second period. Connor McDavid had two assists and Stuart Skinner stopped 25 shots.
Nicolas Roy scored in the third period for Vegas. Adin Hill stopped 29 shots in his first NHL playoff start after playing minutes in the two previous games of the series.
Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night at Las Vegas, and Game 6 will be back in Edmonton on Sunday.
Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo took a major and a game misconduct with less than 90 seconds remaining. After Leon Draisaitl shot wide of an empty net, Pietrangelo slashed the Oilers' forward across the arms.
It capped a penalty-filled third period, with all the infractions coming in the final 10 minutes. Vegas' Chandler Stephenson and Jonathan Marchessault were assessed misconducts, along with Edmonton's Kailer Yamamoto and Evander Kane earlier in the period. Also, the Golden Knights' Nicolas Hague and the Oilers' Darnell Nurse were sent off for fighting, with Nurse also getting an instigator penalty and a misconduct. Vegas' Brett Howden also received a misconduct with 25 seconds remaining.
Bjugstad, coming off Edmonton’s bench, forced a turnover by Shea Theodore in the offensive zone. When Klim Kostin missed the net, Bjugstad got the puck behind the goal line and banked a backhand off Hill’s leg at 6:46 of the first period to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead.
With Theodore serving a slashing minor, Bouchard earned his fourth power-play goal of the playoffs at 7:38 to double the lead. McDavid, from behind the goal line, fed Bouchard for a one-timer.
Ekholm scored his first of the playoffs with a blast from the top of the faceoff circle to beat Hill far side for a 3-0 lead with 6:30 left in the opening period.
Vegas captain Mark Stone trailed that play in pain after he went down by Edmonton’s net. Stone missed 39 regular-season games after back surgery, but returned for the playoffs.
The Oilers killed off consecutive penalties midway through the second period. Zach Hyman took a cross-checking minor and Skinner was penalized for playing the puck outside the trapezoid. Pietrangelo rang a shot off the crossbar during the Knights’ second man advantage.
Nugent-Hopkins also got his first of the playoffs as he beat Hill with a wrist shot from the slot off a pass from McDavid from the boards to make it a four-goal lead with 5:15 left in the second.
Roy chipped the puck upstairs over Skinner’s glove at 5:58 of the third period for his first goal of the playoffs.
Edmonton’s power play, which came in converting at a 56% pace in the playoffs, went 1 for 6. The Oilers also held Vegas to 0 for 4.
NEXT GOALIE UP
Vegas started five different goalies during the regular season because of injury. That trend continued into the playoffs.
Laurent Brossoit started eight straight playoff games. He was replaced by Hill in the first period of Game 3 because of what appeared to be a left leg injury. Hill stopped all 25 shots he faced over the remaining 48 minutes in the Knights’ 5-1 win.
Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said before Wednesday’s game he wouldn’t know how long Brossoit would be sidelined until the team returns to Vegas.
Jonathan Quick, acquired at the NHL deadline, drew in at backup behind Hill, with Jiri Patera the third-stringer.
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