Edmonton Oilers win game, lose Hyman, tighten noose around Stars

Ottawa Citizen

28-05-2025

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Game 4 in any playoff series is always to swing game, and that was the case again Tuesday at Rogers Place because when it was all over, the Dallas Stars were swinging from the end of a noose.
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The Edmonton Oilers kicked the stool out from under Dallas with a 4-1 victory to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Final. And now, if history is any indication, it's only a matter of time until the Stars stop kicking.
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The Oilers improved to 11-2 in their last 13 playoff games and are 17-2 in Games 4 through 7 of a playoff series over the last two years. They're also 8-1 over the last four years when they have a chance to close out a series.
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If you're Dallas, this is some bad math. When the stakes are high, the Oilers' killer instinct is ruthless.
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'I think that our team likes those moments,' said Leon Draisaitl. 'We like to put ourselves in good situations in those games. And if we're not in a good spot in a series, we like to push through it and get ourselves back into it. It's a great record.'
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The Oilers and Stars waged a ferocious battle, exactly what you'd expect when one team is fighting for its life and the other is looking to administer a quick death.
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And, once again, the Oilers found a way to win. This time, it was by winning the special-teams battle. Edmonton scored twice on the power play and killed three of four penalties.
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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who is having a whale of a series (two goals and seven assists), set up the first two Edmonton goals — one from Draisaitl 11:23 into the first period and one from Corey Perry 9:20 into the second to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead heading into the third period
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From there, the Oilers went into shutdown mode, holding the Stars to three shots through the first 17 minutes of the final frame before Kasperi Kapanen and Adam Henrique iced it with an empty-netter.
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Once again, Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner kept the Stars from gaining any sort of momentum. He stopped 16 shots in the first period and eight of nine in the second, and 27 of 28 overall. The only one that got by him was Jason Robertson's power-play snipe at 6:57 of the second period.
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The game came at a significant cost, as Zach Hyman, who has 109 hits in the playoffs and scored two goals last game, left midway through the first period after a hit from Mason Marchment. Hyman dropped his stick immediately after the collision and headed straight to the Oilers room with with an injured arm or shoulder.