The Edmonton Oilers had not lost a game during the entire regular season in which they had led by two or more goals after two periods.
But that was the regular season.
The Vancouver Canucks scored three goals in 4:48 in the third period to rally for a 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Oilers in Game 1 of the Western Conference second-round playoff series on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
THE COMEBACK CANUCKS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/GKn5tf8yjZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2024
Game 2 is Friday at Rogers Arena at 10 p.m. ET.
The tying and winning goals came only 39 seconds apart.
Defenseman Nikita Zadorov tied the game 4-4 with 6:13 left on a one-time slap shot from just inside the blue line that went off the leg of Edmonton's Corey Perry.
NIKITA ZADOROV! TIE GAME IN VANCOUVER!! pic.twitter.com/KuFaS05Njn
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2024
Conor Garland got the winner when he cut in off the right wing, faked a shot, took another stride and put a shot through goaltender Stuart Skinner's pads with 5:34 left.
GARLAND GO-AHEAD GOAL‼️ pic.twitter.com/L5hDVE8Xbx
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 9, 2024
J.T. Miller brought the Canucks to within 4-3, 9:38 into the third period. He tipped in a shot/pass by Brock Boeser.
ONE. GOAL. GAME. pic.twitter.com/GQOETD2px8
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2024
Edmonton went without a shot for over 23 minutes from late in the second period to late in the third the third.
Zach Hyman scored twice for Edmonton to give him nine goals in the playoffs. That ties him with Mark Messier for the most goals in the first six goals of the playoff in team history.
Dakota Joshua put Vancouver on the board to make it 2-1, 53 seconds into the second period. Joshua put in the carom of a wide shot attempt off the backboards for his third goal of the playoffs.
DAKOTA JOSHUA HOW ARE YA?! pic.twitter.com/yyiqxp9zzL
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2024
But Edmonton scored twice in 45 seconds on successive shots to make it 4-1.
Defenseman Cody Ceci's shot from just inside the blue line went in off the leg of Canucks' defenseman Ian Cole with 7:34 left in the period and Hyman scored his second goal of the game on a harmless-looking shot off the rush from the left circle that deflected off the stick of defenseman Tyler Myers to make it 4-1 with 6:49 remaining in the middle period.
Elias Lindholm pulled Vancouver to within 4-2 with 2:59 left in the second. His attempted pass went in off the stick of Skinner.
Edmonton led 2-0 after the first period.
Vancouver took a too-many-men-on the-ice penalty just 40 seconds into the game and the potent Oilers power play capitalized as Hyman scored at 2:11, converting a pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Defenseman Mattias Ekholm made it 2-0 on a blast from the point with 4:59 remaining in the opening period.
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