Chicago Cuts Off the Oil(ers) to Advance

With Edmonton facing elimination on… wait for it… Elimination Friday… it was imperative for all cylinders to be firing in Game 4 of 5 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Unfortunately for the Oilers, their road to the playoffs ended tonight.

The Oilers fell to the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2. Mikko Koskinen earned another start but it wasn’t enough to give Edmonton a chance at forcing a Game 5. Just 45 seconds into the first period, Connor McDavid set up Josh Archibald for a perfect top-shelf snipe that gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead on the first shot of the game. However, Brandon Saad tied the game with his second of the playoffs at the 5:16 mark, and not even three minutes later, Matthew Highmore gave Chicago a 2-1 lead. Again. Both teams received power plays in the first period, but neither converted.  Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tied the game 2-2 as he scored his 2^nd of the post-season at the 2:02 mark of the middle frame. 30 seconds later, Alex DeBrincat was assessed a five-minute major for boarding against Ethan Bear, but surprisingly, the Oilers were unable to tally even one goal on with the man-advantage. However, Edmonton got another opportunity just short of the five-minute mark of the final frame as Drake Caggiula was called for cross-checking. The Hawks took back the lead with 11:30 remaining as Dominik Kubalik made it 3-2. The Hawks received a late power play after the Oilers were called for too-many-men-on-the-ice. Edmonton was 0-for-5 with the man-advantage and Chicago, 0-2.

For the first time since raising the Stanley Cup in 2015-16, the Chicago Blackhawks will formally participate in the playoffs. Their first-round match-up is still TBD, but Round 1 will begin August 11^th, 2020.