Nugent-Hopkins scores twice as Oilers take commanding lead

*Photo from the Taiwan News*

Edmonton leads series 3-1

   The momentum for the battle of Alberta has shifted to the farther north part of the Canadian Province. Evander Kane scored two goals, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice, and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames with a 5-3 victory on Tuesday night in Edmonton.

   With the win, the momentum in this second round battle of Alberta has completely shifted. It's all Oilers right now, having won 3 straight games since the scoring fest of game one, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead in the second round series, thanks to the contributions of Nugent-Hopkins and Kane.

   Oilers interim head coach Jay Woodcroft said that "I've been really impressed with our group's ability to handle adversity. Our guys were saying the right things on the bench. There was calm, there was composure, and we knew we had to continue to do the things that lead to success. For us, it was making sure we had the right people on the ice at the right time."

   The Oilers got on the board almost instantaneously, with Nugent-Hopkins scoring just 21 seconds into the game, making it 1-0 Oilers on an unassisted goal. On the power play 9:53 into the game, Zach Hyman scored in front of the net, doubling the lead to 2-0 Oilers. Kane then scored with 1:06 left in the period, putting the Oilers up 3-0 after one period.

   In the second period, Elias Lindholm scored a power play goal 9:04 into the second, with his 5th goal of the postseason getting the Flames on the board and making it 3-1. Just 36 seconds later, it was 2-2 thanks to Mikael Backlund's 4th goal of the playoffs, assisted by Chris Tanev.

   While shorthanded 10:56 into the 3rd period, Rasmus Andersson scored his 3rd goal of the playoffs, scoring unassisted to tie the game up at 3-3. At the 16:33 mark of the 3rd period, Nugent-Hopkins scored his second goal of the night, putting the Oilers ahead 4-3. With 25 seconds left, Kane scored to seal the 5-3 win for the Oilers.

   Getting the start in net for the Oilers was Mike Smith, who picked up his 3rd straight win of the series. Smith saved 29 of the 32 shots that the Flames sent at him, which was good for a .906 save percentage in the victory.

   Smith said after the game that "We got a big goal by Nugget to seal the deal. There has definitely been growth on this team, for sure. There is a confidence this team is playing with that we believe we can do some damage. Every game you win you gain confidence from, and you want to keep that ball rolling and doing the good things that make our team successful."

   For the Flames, it was Jacob Markstrom back in net, who took his 3rd straight loss with another less than optimal performance. Markstrom stopped 21 out of the 25 shots on goal he faced from the Oilers, posting a .840 save percentage in another loss.

   Flames head coach Darryl Sutter said that "I thought we showed a lot of resolve and resilience. They score that empty-net in the first minute of the game, but I thought we had a really good first period and that's what I told them after the first, that it was still a winnable game for us for sure tonight and we damn near did."

   Up next, game 5 of the series is on Thursday night as the series goes back to Calgary. There, the Oilers will look to secure a spot in the Western Conference Finals, where the Flames look to stay alive and force a game 6.