GAME RECAP: Rangers 5, Oilers 4 (SO)

EDMONTON, AB - Alexis Lafreniere scored the game-winner in the sixth round of the shootout to give the New York Rangers the come-from-behind 5-4 shootout win on Friday night.
Connor McDavid hit the 100-point mark for the sixth time in his career, tying Sidney Crosby for the most 100-point seasons among active NHLers with six. It took the Oilers Captain just 56 games to reach the milestone, the second fewest games to top the century mark in his career. McDavid's scorching pace was only surpased by the 53 games it took the 26-year-old to hit triple digits during the 2020-21 season.
Chris Krieder scored twice for the Rangers, while Lafreniere and Mika Zibanejad added the other New York regulation tallies.
The Oilers will now head to Denver for a Sunday matinee against the team that eliminated them in the Western Conference Final last season in the Colorado Avalanche.

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AHEAD BY A CENTURY

Unlike the last matchup between the Oilers and Rangers, Edmonton didn't have to wait until the third period to light the lamp behind Igor Shesterkin.
The Oilers league-leading power play was put to work after Vincent Trocheck knocked the loose stick of Jack Campbell away from the goaltender and into the slot for an interference penalty. The Oilers top unit quickly got to work, slinging the puck around with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins getting credited for his 27th of the season on a pass that found its way behind Shesterkin.
McDavid set the play up from the half wall for his 58th assist, but more importantly, his 100th point of the season. The point marked the sixth time the Captain has reached the 100-point threshold in a season and the second-fewest number of games (56) in his career.

FIRST ACT

After the opening goal by Nugent-Hopkins, the Oilers continued to pile the pressure on the Rangers in a free-flowing and highly-entertaining first period.
Following some excellent cycling in the New York defensive zone by Ryan McLeod, Mattias Janmark, and Warren Foegele, it was a loose puck in the slot that Tyson Barrie pounced on for his eighth goal of the season. Before the tally could even be announced by Al Stafford in the Rogers Place bowl, the goal horn was blaring again courtesy of a short-side snipe by Derek Ryan. The veteran's 10th of the season came a mere 19 seconds after the Barrie goal to give Edmonton a 3-0 advantage less than eight minutes into the contest.

The wave of Oilers goals was briefly halted by a dubious slashing infraction called on Darnell Nurse, who was clearly incensed by the decision. The New York power play quickly made the Oilers pay, with a quick series of passing from stars Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad that ended up on the waiting stick of Chris Kreider at the far post. The quick tap-in goal was Kreider's 23rd of the season after the Boxford, Mass. product notched a career-best 52 goals the season prior.
Edmonton made things right before the end of the frame. After K'Andre Miller was sent to the box for knocking the puck out of play, Leon Draisaitl found some space at the right circle to pick his spot past Shesterkin's blocker with 1:33 remaining in the period for a 4-1 advantage heading into the first intermission.
The marker was Draisaitl's 20th power-play goal of the season and 32nd overall, giving the German back-to-back seasons with at least 20 goals on the man advantage.

SENSATIONAL SOUP

It was Jack Campbell who led the Oilers out on to the ice to start the game and it didn't take long for the netminder to put on a show.
Following a tough result on Wednesday against the Detroit Red Wings where several pucks bounced off defencemen and in, Campbell started the game strong and put the Oilers in position to take their early three-goal lead.
Jimmy Vesey found a pinching Ryan Lindgren on the rush for what could have been an easy tap-in goal, but the Oilers goaltender kicked across to flash the pad for a huge save early in the contest. The stop was a vital one for the Oilers who would draw a power play 10 seconds later and score the first goal of the game 16 seconds after that -- none which would have been possible if not for the sensational leg save.
Campbell topped the stop later in the night with a pair of theatrical saves late in the second period.
The first stop came out of pure desperation. With 2:38 left in the second period, the puck slid over to Filip Chytil wide open at the right post. Campbell darted over to make the save, but Chytil held onto the puck with a wide-open cage yawning in front of him. The Rangers youngster finally tried to snap the puck over Campbell, who flailed his head at the shot for the unorthodox stop.

Soup wasn't done simmering on the night. Less than two minutes after the denying Chytil, Campbell showed off his lateral movement ability once again, robbing Jimmy Vesey with the glove on the cross-crease attempt. The pair of highlight-reel saves helped stem the tide of the Rangers late period attack and allowed the Oilers to escape with their 4-2 advantage still intact.
The keeper would end up stopping 34-of 38 shots on the evening, plus another four in the shootout, but it wasn't enough to pick up the full two points on the night.

RESILIENT RANGERS

The Rangers continued to be opportunistic and showed they weren't going to be put away easy. New York narrowed the deficit to a single goal just 1:36 into the final frame off the stick of former first-overall pick Alexis Lafrenière.
The 21-year-old received the behind the net feed from former second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko before snapping a quick wrister by Campbell's blocker for his ninth of the season.
"I think we had a clear understanding that the team that came in is one of the hottest in the league and they have a lot of skill on their team," Woodcroft said. "We knew they weren't going to surrender."
The Blueshirts were able to find an equaliser before the third was done. With Mattias Janmark in the box for hooking, Derek Ryan would pick up a hard-luck delay of game call when he batted the puck from a foot off the ice to over the boards for the infraction. New York's deadly power play took advantage of the abundance of space, with Mike Zibanejad firing a shot from the left circle past a screened Campbell to knot the game at 4-4.

PARTING WORDS

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft on the overtime period not going the Oilers way:
"Yeah, I would say you saw the chances there tonight. In overtime we had quality chances to score and win. Their goaltender made some saves. Jack made a lot of good saves as well. They found it and we couldn't find it."
Woodcroft on Campbell playing well despite the four goals allowed:
"I think Jack competed his tail off tonight and gave us a chance to win the game. I thought there were good moments for us in that first period. Anytime you can build a lead against a team like that's playing at the level they're playing at, that's a positive thing. But for us, we came into the game tonight understanding that I think they averaged about 5.5 goals per game in their last six games or so for us to win. We felt we had to check. We think there were things that we could have done to check better in the end."
Woodcroft on Klim Kostin missing the contest with illness:
"Yeah, we had a short bench tonight. Obviously, Klim was ill today and couldn't go up front. I'm quite comfortable running 11 forwards. It wasn't that big of an adjustment for us. I thought we worked, I thought we had good efforts, but we weren't detailed enough to beat an elite team."

Connor McDavid on the Oilers failing to hold onto a 4-1 lead:
"Yeah, we had a 4-1 lead, but it wasn't really a 4-1 game."
McDavid on jumping out to an early 3-0 lead:
"I thought we did a lot of good things on the power play. We capitalized on some chances. That's a credit to us, but we had to find a way to close that one out."
Derek Ryan on the Rangers third-period comeback:
"Yeah, obviously we'd like to get two points there, like to crack it down in the third and not let it get to overtime."
Ryan on what the team needs to do to lock down teams in the third period:
"Well, I think we've done it before. I don't think it's been a major issue this season, but it's definitely something down the stretch that's going to be important for us. It's just about bearing down, playing the right way. I thought they got a little couple of bounces there with the PP, but letting them get the goal early on in the third period obviously isn't ideal. Maybe just focusing on the first five minutes there in the third and making sure we come out strong."
Ryan on the delay of game call that gave the Rangers the 5-on-3 in the third period.
"I had another call or another penalty like that earlier. No, I'm just trying to knock down the sauce pass at the point and it haphazardly goes out of play and doesn't hit the glass. So I'm not making a play on the puck to whack it out of the zone. Obviously just trying to break it down."
Ryan on the Oilers recent stretch of losing overtime and shootout games:
"Well, it's kind of a thing the other way. Last year, and the couple of years before I got here it seems like. I think it all comes out in the wash a little bit, but definitely we'd like to get those points."