Welcome back to Instant Reaction &#8212; the series here at CanucksArmy where we give our instant reaction to the game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below! Wyatt Arndt is writing The Stanchies tonight and Mike Liu will have The Statsies &#8212; CA&#8217;s analytics-based post game report &#8212; up tomorrow morning.
The first two shifts of this game were all Oilers, as Edmonton&#8217;s new-look lineup with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on separate lines looked effective early on. Then the Oilers&#8217; third line came out against Elias Pettersson&#8217;s line, and that&#8217;s when the Canucks got their first sustained zone time and shot on goal.
The Canucks got the first power play of the game when Darnell Nurse was called for cross-checking Dakota Joshua. The first unit didn&#8217;t look great, but the second unit hopped over the boards, giving Conor Garland a chance to really shine. He looked phenomenal, and created some dangerous opportunities for Calvin Pickard to contend with.
After two failed clears from Ian Cole, JT Miller got tied up with Leon Draisaitl along the boards, giving the Oilers their first power play of the game ten minutes into the first. Arturs Silovs was sharp early on, but couldn&#8217;t stop Leon Draisaitl from his office on the power play.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Leon Draisaitl scores on the power play. It&#39;s 1-0 Edmonton <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoOilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoOilers</a> 📽️: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/uVJzzewmfr">pic.twitter.com/uVJzzewmfr</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1790565883451981919?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That&#8217;s Draisaitl&#8217;s eighth goal of the playoffs and 19th point so far. Ridiculous stuff. Credit to Connor McDavid for drawing in three Canucks penalty killers to him and then finding the perfect pass to Draisaitl on this goal, too. This Oilers power play is just so dangerous.
The Canucks got a prime opportunity to even things up when Evander Kane high-sticked Tyler Myers and was assessed a double minor.
What followed was one of the most embarrassing showings the Canucks&#8217; power play has had in recent memory. They struggled to get set up for the first two minutes, and once they did get set up, everyone stopped skating and simply waited for the Oilers&#8217; penalty killers to come take the puck and clear the puck. It was abysmal, just like the Canucks&#8217; showing in the first period. They were soft on pucks, lost every board battle they engaged in, and were all around bad.
The Canucks were a bit better in the second, but they still gave up some five-alarm chances that Arturs Silovs needed to be sharp on in order to keep the Canucks within one.
Eventually, the Oilers broke through when Noah Juulsen made the crucial mistake of seeking out a huge hit in a 1-0 game in the playoffs. This gave the Oilers a 2-on-1 that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made no mistake in burying.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
That goal is directly due to the Soucy suspension. Noah Juulsen hunting for a huge hit is absolutely wild in a 1-0 game in the playoffs. <a href="https://t.co/vAJ376I1Rs">pic.twitter.com/vAJ376I1Rs</a>
&mdash; Wyatt Arndt (@TheStanchion) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheStanchion/status/1790583132590416156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Between the overall play of Ian Cole and this mistake from Juulsen, the Canucks certainly missed the suspended Carson Soucy tonight.
The Canucks entered the third down by a pair of goals, and Linus Karlsson gave the Oilers their second power play opportunity of the night and a prime chance to go up by three. Again, Arturs Silovs came up huge for the Canucks and was up to 26 saves on the night early into the third.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Arturs Silovs makes an incredible save using his skate blade! He is keeping the Canucks in this game <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoOilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoOilers</a> 📽️: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/IH6YsReL9q">pic.twitter.com/IH6YsReL9q</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1790590317604770124?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
To this point in the game, the Canucks were simply not good enough. According to naturalstattrick.com, the high-danger chances were 12-3 in favour of the Oilers at this point, and at 5v5, it was 8-1 Edmonton. That&#8217;s simply not good enough, and the Canucks hardly tested Calvin Pickard through 45 minutes of play.
Conor Garland got the Canucks on the board after a strong shift in the offensive zone, as he continues his strong performance in the playoffs.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Conor Garland gets the Canucks on the board! This game just got interesting! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoOilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoOilers</a> 📽️: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/f2n4N7CCQC">pic.twitter.com/f2n4N7CCQC</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1790591689419038966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Canucks ramped up the pressure after this, and all of a sudden, it was the Oilers who were bending but not breaking. Every one of the Canucks&#8217; lines looked good during this stretch, and even players like Linus Karlsson and Nils Aman helped the Canucks sustain some offensive zone time.
With 2:38 remaining on the clock, the Canucks pulled Arturs Silovs for an extra attacker and tried to even this one up.
Fittingly, it was Brock Boeser that tied this one up with 1:41 to go.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
BROCK BOESER TIES THE GAME!!! THIS GUY IS SO CLUTCH! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoOilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoOilers</a> 📽️: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/qj13zRT5mT">pic.twitter.com/qj13zRT5mT</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1790596787486576941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Evan Bouchard scored with 38 seconds remaining to give the Oilers a late 3-2 lead.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Edmonton takes the lead 62 seconds after the Canucks tied the game. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoOilers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoOilers</a> 📽️: Sportsnet | NHL <a href="https://t.co/fa5O5rWA5c">pic.twitter.com/fa5O5rWA5c</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1790597400433750178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Canucks made it close, but didn&#8217;t show up until it was too little too late.
This series is all tied up.
What are your thoughts on tonight&#8217;s game? Let us know in the comments section below!
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="RINK WIDE PLAYOFF POST-GAME: Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers | Round 2 - Game 4" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a506AtKK_RQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

Welcome back to Instant Reaction -- the series here at CanucksArmy where we give our instant reaction to the game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below! Wyatt Arndt is writing The Stanchies tonight and Mike Liu will have The Statsies -- CA's analytics-based post game report -- up tomorrow morning.

The first two shifts of this game were all Oilers, as Edmonton's new-look lineup with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on separate lines looked effective early on. Then the Oilers' third line came out against Elias Pettersson's line, and that's when the Canucks got their first sustained zone time and shot on goal.

The Canucks got the first power play of the game when Darnell Nurse was called for cross-checking Dakota Joshua. The first unit didn't look great, but the second unit hopped over the boards, giving Conor Garland a chance to really shine. He looked phenomenal, and created some dangerous opportunities for Calvin Pickard to contend with.

After two failed clears from Ian Cole, JT Miller got tied up with Leon Draisaitl along the boards, giving the Oilers their first power play of the game ten minutes into the first. Arturs Silovs was sharp early on, but couldn't stop Leon Draisaitl from his office on the power play.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1790565883451981919

That's Draisaitl's eighth goal of the playoffs and 19th point so far. Ridiculous stuff. Credit to Connor McDavid for drawing in three Canucks penalty killers to him and then finding the perfect pass to Draisaitl on this goal, too. This Oilers power play is just so dangerous.

The Canucks got a prime opportunity to even things up when Evander Kane high-sticked Tyler Myers and was assessed a double minor.

What followed was one of the most embarrassing showings the Canucks' power play has had in recent memory. They struggled to get set up for the first two minutes, and once they did get set up, everyone stopped skating and simply waited for the Oilers' penalty killers to come take the puck and clear the puck. It was abysmal, just like the Canucks' showing in the first period. They were soft on pucks, lost every board battle they engaged in, and were all around bad.

The Canucks were a bit better in the second, but they still gave up some five-alarm chances that Arturs Silovs needed to be sharp on in order to keep the Canucks within one.

Eventually, the Oilers broke through when Noah Juulsen made the crucial mistake of seeking out a huge hit in a 1-0 game in the playoffs. This gave the Oilers a 2-on-1 that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made no mistake in burying.

https://twitter.com/TheStanchion/status/1790583132590416156

Between the overall play of Ian Cole and this mistake from Juulsen, the Canucks certainly missed the suspended Carson Soucy tonight.

The Canucks entered the third down by a pair of goals, and Linus Karlsson gave the Oilers their second power play opportunity of the night and a prime chance to go up by three. Again, Arturs Silovs came up huge for the Canucks and was up to 26 saves on the night early into the third.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1790590317604770124

To this point in the game, the Canucks were simply not good enough. According to naturalstattrick.com, the high-danger chances were 12-3 in favour of the Oilers at this point, and at 5v5, it was 8-1 Edmonton. That's simply not good enough, and the Canucks hardly tested Calvin Pickard through 45 minutes of play.

Conor Garland got the Canucks on the board after a strong shift in the offensive zone, as he continues his strong performance in the playoffs.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1790591689419038966

The Canucks ramped up the pressure after this, and all of a sudden, it was the Oilers who were bending but not breaking. Every one of the Canucks' lines looked good during this stretch, and even players like Linus Karlsson and Nils Aman helped the Canucks sustain some offensive zone time.

With 2:38 remaining on the clock, the Canucks pulled Arturs Silovs for an extra attacker and tried to even this one up.

Fittingly, it was Brock Boeser that tied this one up with 1:41 to go.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1790596787486576941

Evan Bouchard scored with 38 seconds remaining to give the Oilers a late 3-2 lead.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1790597400433750178

The Canucks made it close, but didn't show up until it was too little too late.

This series is all tied up.

What are your thoughts on tonight's game? Let us know in the comments section below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a506AtKK_RQ

Instant Reaction: Boeser strikes late as Canucks’ comeback effort comes up just short in 3-2 loss to Oilers

Previewing the Canucks’ six game road trip: Canucks Conversation

Jonathan Lekkerimäki during the Vancouver Canucks' 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets at the 2024 Young Stars Classic from Penticton, BC.

After 5 game NHL stint, Canucks’ Lekkerimäki knows where he needs to improve

Canucks’ Quinn Hughes is Conor Garland’s newborn son’s godfather

Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Elias Pettersson during the Vancouver Canucks' 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets at the 2024 Young Stars Classic from Penticton, BC.

The Canucks have recalled the most players before the 20-game mark in 20 years

Vincent Desharnais and Brock Boeser at Vancouver Canucks training camp in Penticton, BC.

Recent articles from David Quadrelli

Breaking News