According to essentially everyone, the Vancouver Canucks headed into their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers as significant underdogs.
The Oilers made them look like underdogs in the first period.
Before the game, Nikita Zadorov said two of the keys for stopping the Oilers were to "stay out of the box and turnovers." That proved prescient, as the Oilers' two goals in the first period were scored with a man in the box and off a turnover.
It was a rough opening frame for Ian Cole, in particular. Cole was guilty of jumping on the ice early for a too many men penalty to put the Oilers on the power play in the opening minute. When Ryan Nugent-Hopkins set up Zach Hyman for the opening goal on that power play, his pass went through Cole's legs in front of the net.
Later in the first period, Cole made a great read in the neutral zone to pick off a pass and jump up into the Oilers' zone, only to turn the puck over immediately with a pass to no one. Back in the defensive zone, Cole picked off a centering pass but again immediately turned the puck over to Leon Draisaitl with an ill-advised bank pass behind his own net.
Draisaitl fed Mattias Ekholm at the point and his shot beat Arturs Silovs through the Canucks' own traffic to give the Oilers a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
In the opening minute of the second period, Cole partially atoned for his first-period errors with a point shot that banked off the end boards to Dakota Joshua for an open net to make it 2-1.
Unfortunately for Cole, the hockey gods weren't done punishing him, as he was the goat on another goal against midway through the second period when a Cody Ceci shot in transition deflected in off his leg and past Silovs.
Less than a minute later, the wheels threatened to come completely off for the Canucks. Hyman took advantage of some space down the left wing and his shot deflected off Tyler Myers' stick to fool Silovs for a 4-1 Oilers lead.
Down 4-1, with under 27 minutes remaining, Game 1 seemed like a lost cause for the Canucks.
A few minutes later, however, a heavy shift from the third line of Joshua, Elias Lindholm, and Conor Garland brought the Canucks within two before the end of the second period. Aided by a timely pinch down the boards by Carson Soucy, Joshua moved the puck behind the net to Lindholm, whose centring pass deflected in off Stuart Skinner's stick.
Lindholm's goal gave the Canucks life heading into the third period and J.T. Miller kept the blood pumping through their veins. At 4-on-4 after off-setting penalties to Nikita Zadorov and Leon Draisaitl, Brock Boeser threw the puck down low to Miller at the side of the net, but instead of looking for a return pass, Miller deftly deflected the puck over Skinner's shoulder on the short side. It was an absurd tip to bring the Canucks within one.
Then the Canucks showed the Oilers what they showed the Predators in the first round: they know how to strike quickly at key moments. Still down by a goal, the Canucks brought the roof off Rogers Arena with two goals in less than a minute.
First, it was Nikita Zadorov blasting a slap shot through traffic off a feed from Teddy Bluegers. It was Zadorov's third goal of the playoffs, as he has repeatedly shown an ability to come through in the clutch.
On the following shift, Joshua held a puck in the neutral zone to draw in a defender before sending Garland flying down the right wing. His quick release fooled Skinner to give the Canucks their first lead of the game, 5-4.
Miracle of miracles, the lead held.
Or rather, it wasn't a miracle at all. The Canucks only allowed two shots on goal after taking the lead. They were the Oilers' only two shots of the third period.
Against all odds, when it seemed impossible, the Canucks took a 1-0 lead in their second-round series against the Oilers.
BOXSCORE
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