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Series wrap-up: four points on four goals for Draisaitl… who wasn’t even supposed to play
Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

The National Hockey League playoffs are well underway, with the second round well underway.

Last night, two series were in action, one in the West and one in the East.

Here’s what we remember from both games.

1. Oilers go for big win to even series

After losing Game 1 by a score of 5-4, the Oilers needed to bounce back in Game 2, and that’s exactly what they did.

However, it wasn’t easy last night, as they trailed by a goal on three occasions.

The Oilers took the lead only when they scored the winning goal in overtime in this 4-3 victory.

For an Oilers victory, it obviously took a very big game from the team’s two stars.

Indeed, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl took matters into their own hands in this game, each scoring four points on four goals, including this magnificent goal by McDavid to tie the game in the third period.

Note that Draisaitl was injured in the last game, and wasn’t even supposed to play. In the end, he was in uniform, and he didn’t look injured at all, on the contrary.

Four points on four goals for an injured player is pretty good.

Let’s just say we’re a long way from Auston Matthews and William Nylander…

In short, the German forward is just as vital to the team’s success as McDavid, and that’s why he played through injury.

Draisaitl also accomplished quite a feat, reaching the 90-point plateau in the playoffs after just 56 games, the third-fastest in history behind only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

It’s still an incredible statistic and very flattering for Draisaitl to have only the two best players of all time in front of him.

In short, the two Canadian teams put on another excellent show, playing out a very good, close game.

Game #3 will take place on Sunday in Edmonton, starting at 9:30pm.

The series is tied 1-1.

2. Panthers thrash Bruins in Boston

After a Game #1 that surprised many with a convincing victory for the Boston Bruins, we were expecting a big response from the Panthers.

After all, there’s a reason why everyone sees them beating the Bruins handily.

Well, after winning Game #2, the Panthers handed the Bruins a thrashing in Boston at the TD Garden.

The Panthers won 6-2, while dominating 33-17 in shots on goal.

The Bruins were very undisciplined in this game, and the Panthers took advantage, scoring four of their six goals on the power play.

They made it 4 out of 6 on the power play, which really sealed the deal.

In short, the Panthers were dominant and far too strong for the Bruins.

The next game will be one to watch, to see if the Bruins can bounce back.

Game #4 of this series takes place on Sunday in Boston, starting at 6:30pm.

The Pantherslead the series 2-1.

Overtime

Nikita Zadorov has been on fire since the start of the playoffs, but Stuart Skinner would certainly like to see that shot again.

– Here are the two results from yesterday.

– Here are the night’s top scorers. Note that 28 players scored at least one point.

(Credit: NH.com)

– On the schedule today: two games, as the Rangers attempt to sweep the Hurricanes and remain undefeated so far in the playoffs.

(Credit: Google/NHL)

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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