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The Oilers took the latest chapter of the Edmonton-Vegas seesaw battle with a comfortable 4-1 win over the Golden Knights in Game 4 on Thursday.
Nick Bjugstad got the party started for Edmonton about seven minutes in with his third of the playoffs, before Evan Burchard and Mattias Ekholm potted their fourth and first goals of the playoffs, respectively, as the Oilers built a 3-0 after one period and never looked back.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also got off the schneid with his first of the postseason to cap the scoring for Edmonton before Nicolas Roy deposited Vegas's only tally early in the third.
Things predictably got pretty nasty at the end of the contest with the game out of reach. Vegas blueliner Alex Pietrangelo was given a 5-minute major and ejected for a wicked slash on Leon Draisaitl before throwing some fusticuffs with Connor McDavid.
Another hot start for the Oilers; Edmonton splits Draisaitl, McDavid
When the Oilers have beaten the Golden Knights, they’ve done so on the strength of formidable first periods. In Game 2, they outscored the Golden Knights 4-0, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl imposing their will. Draisaitl and McDavid delivered during the first period of Game 4 — as did that incredible Edmonton power play — but it was also more of a group effort.
Could some of that boil down to "spreading the wealth" rather than going top-heavy with McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line? At times, Nick Bjugstad has looked a bit over-extended to a second-line spot, so maybe Bjugstad scored a key 1-0 goal thanks in part to being in a more relaxed role. It could also have been a coincidence; either way, the Oilers aren’t complaining.
More history from McDavid, Bouchard
Game 3 sticks out for a number of reasons, including Draisaitl, McDavid and Bouchard slowing down. That did not become a trend in Game 4.
Instead, a pattern resumed where some mixture of those two superstars and a rising-star defenseman kept making history. Sportsnet Stats points out that McDavid became just the ninth player in NHL history to record multiple 100-assist campaigns when you combine production in the regular season and playoffs.
This season, McDavid combined a gaudy 89 assists with a career-high 64 goals. By reaching 11-plus assists through 10 playoff games, McDavid exceeded 100 helpers for 2022-23.
Skinner save and Ekholm goal limited Game 4 drama
One of the most memorable moments of Game 4 happened with 6:46 remaining in the first period. To start a sequence, Mark Stone got alone in on Stuart Skinner with plenty of time to make a move on him up-close. Skinner was able to get over and make the stop. Some will note two key elements in one: the Skinner save, and a cross-check on Stone that didn’t get called.
It’s well-known that Stone is gutting it out through a vulnerable back after surgery. The Oilers are certainly aware, as they’ve cross-checked him in his back area repeatedly during this series. That wasn’t the only shot Stone took during the first period of Game 4 alone.
Pietrangelo slash on Draisaitl: suspension coming?
The Oilers also haven’t been shy about going after Alex Pietrangelo (memorably Evander Kane). Late in Game 4, frustration boiled over for Pietrangelo, who went out of his way to slash Leon Draisaitl with Vegas’ net empty. After that slash, Pietrangelo and McDavid even exchanged pleasantries.
There’s a real chance Pietrangelo could face a suspension for that slash, which drew a major penalty and a game misconduct in the waning moments of Game 4. McDavid told media members that he believes it was suspension-worthy. Some compared the Pietrangelo slash to Adam Graves on Mario Lemieux in 1992.
Relief for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
After setting career-highs in goals (37) and points (104) during the regular season, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins hasn’t been able to buy a goal in the postseason. While he came into Game 4 with six assists, he was suffering through a 12-game goal drought (including nine in the playoffs).
On the heels of a great keep-in by Cody Ceci and a setup from Connor McDavid, RNH finally scored his first goal of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs to make it 4-0. Nugent-Hopkins finished with a goal and an assist in Game 4, pushing him to eight goals in 10 playoff games.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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