Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard both had a goal and two assists to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, sending their Western Conference semifinal series to a winner-take-all Game 7.
Dylan Holloway, Zach Hyman and Evander Kane also scored for the Oilers, while Connor McDavid had three assists. Goaltender Stuart Skinner, handed back the net after watching the past two games, needed to make only 14 saves to record the win.
Leon Draisaitl posted two assists to run his point-scoring streak to 11 games. He became the third player in history to record 100 career playoff points in 60 or fewer games, joining Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
Game 7 will be Monday in Vancouver, with the winner advancing to the Western Conference final to face the Dallas Stars.
Nils Hoglander scored and goalie Arturs Silovs stopped 22 shots for the Canucks.
Neither team has won consecutive games in the series, with the Oilers winning the even-numbered clashes.
With the score tied 1-1, Hyman’s 10th goal of the playoffs at 7:14 of the second period sent the Oilers off and running. Hyman’s shot from the slot bounced off a defender and went over Silovs.
Bouchard made it a 3-1 game when he unloaded a point shot for his fifth goal of the playoffs.
Nugent-Hopkins scored his third goal of the playoffs at 3:25 of the third. McDavid raced around a defender before sliding a pass to the front of the net for Nugent-Hopkins.
Kane rounded out the scoring with a screened-shot goal, his fourth of the playoffs, after a Draisaitl faceoff win with 6:56 remaining.
The clubs traded first-period goals, with Holloway opening the scoring at 8:18. He split the defensemen before tucking home his third goal of the playoffs.
Hoglander tied the game just past the midway point of the period when he cashed in his own rebound for his first goal of the playoffs.
