Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his first goal of the playoffs and also had an assist for the Edmonton Oilers in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights to square their series at two wins apiece.
After they were held off the scoresheet in Game 3, Edmonton captain Connor McDavid had a pair of assists and Leon Draisaitl had one.
Game 5 of the best-of-seven Pacific Division final is Friday in Las Vegas.
The series returns to Edmonton for Sunday’s Game 6. If required, Game 7 would be Tuesday in Vegas.
WATCH | Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid lead Oilers past Golden Knights in Game 4:
Edmonton ties their second-round playoff series with Vegas at two games apiece with a 4-1 victory. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scores his first goal of the post-season and finishes with two points while Connor McDavid records two assists.
Nicolas Roy scored the Golden Knights’ lone goal in the third period.
Vegas goalie Adin Hill stopped 29 shots in his first NHL playoff start, after playing minutes in the two previous games of the series.
The Golden Knights took the first game 6-4 and the Oilers the second 5-1 in Las Vegas.
Golden Knights defenceman Alex Pietrangelo took a major and a game misconduct with less than two minutes remaining.
After Draisaitl shot wide of an empty net, Pietrangelo slashed the Oiler across the arms.
Roy chipped the puck upstairs over Skinner’s glove at 5:58 of the third period for his first goal of the playoffs.
So he was elated to beat Hill with a wrist shot from the slot on a McDavid feed from the boards, which made it 4-0 at 14:45 of the second period.
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.
Edmonton led 3-0 by 13:30 of the opening period. Ekholm scored his first of the playoffs with a blast from the top of the faceoff circle to beat Hill far side.
That’s our vi-KING 👑 <a href=”https://t.co/uIp8kGx616″>pic.twitter.com/uIp8kGx616</a>
—@EdmontonOilers
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.
With Knights defenceman Shea Theodore serving a slashing minor, Bouchard earned his fourth power-play goal of the playoffs at 7:38.
McDavid, from behind the goal line, fed Bouchard for a one-time slapper.
Bouch blasts it 🚀 <a href=”https://t.co/kcUeR341uJ”>pic.twitter.com/kcUeR341uJ</a>
—@EdmontonOilers
Edmonton’s power play didn’t produce at quite the cracking 56-per-cent-pace it had been during the playoffs, going 1-for-6, but the Oilers scored a series-high three even-strength goals.
Edmonton also held the Golden Knights scoreless on four power-play chances.
Bjugstad, coming off Edmonton’s bench, forced a Theodore turnover in the offensive zone.
Hyman didn’t skate Tuesday or Wednesday morning, but he played Wednesday night.
His leg collided with Knights defenceman Nicolas Hague’s during Monday’s game, and Hyman finished that game in discomfort.
Mattias Janmark also returned to Edmonton’s lineup after falling backwards into the boards in Game 1.