Edmonton had everything going for it in Game 3 as stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl got points for the first time in the series and the Oilers held a 4-1 lead with less than nine minutes left.
Instead, the Oilers are on the brink of elimination after the Winnipeg Jets staged a major rally for a 5-4 overtime victory.
“That’s our team,” said Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who scored twice, including in overtime, in his return from injury. “We don’t give up. That’s what’s so fun playing on this team. After the OT win, you could see the joy. It’s a wonder no one got injured in the celebration.”
The rally began after Edmonton’s Josh Archibald was penalized for a low hit on Winnipeg’s Logan Stanley at 11:11. Mathieu Perreault scored 30 seconds later, and the Jets later got goals from Blake Wheeler and Josh Morrissey 16 seconds apart to tie the game.
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“The Archibald penalty was a poor penalty to take,” Oilers coach Dave Tippett said. “It gave them some life.”
Archibald might not get a chance for redemption. NHL Player Safety tweeted that he will have a hearing Monday for the hit.
The Oilers will try to avoid elimination Monday night in Winnipeg.
“Not much time to think about it,” said McDavid, who combined with Draisaitl for six points. “Just go out and play tomorrow.”
Bruins looking dangerous
The Boston Bruins followed up their 2019 trip to the Stanley Cup Final with a second-round loss to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
As they await their next opponent after knocking off the Washington Capitals in five games, the Bruins are in better shape than in the 2020 playoffs.
Last season, goalie Tuukka Rask left the bubble for family reasons and Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak were dealing with injuries that led to offseason surgery.
But Rask is back and focused with a 1.81 goals-against average and .941 save percentage. He stopped 40 of 41 shots in the clinching 3-1 win against the Washington Capitals.
“He seemed very composed and sure of himself,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It makes it easier for everybody when you see your goalie completely under control.”
Marchand had an overtime goal in Game 2 and Pastrnak had a highlight-reel goal in Game 5.
Captain Patrice Bergeron, the third member of the line, scored twice in the clincher.
The Bruins are deeper, too. Boston took a chance on slumping Taylor Hall (two goals) at the trade deadline and the former Hart Trophy winner scored eight goals down the stretch plus two more in the playoffs.
The loss of free agents Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara hurt on defense, but it allowed Charlie McAvoy to blossom. And while the Bruins struggled with blue line injuries in the regular season, their younger defensemen got experience, allowing them to overcome the loss of Kevan Miller in Game 4.
“We played a solid series,” Rask said. “I thought game by game, we got better. …. Everybody contributed, offensively, defensively and we did a lot of little things right. I think that probably ended up being the difference. We were a better team overall.”
Kadri suspension appealed
The Colorado Avalanche also advanced Sunday with a 5-2 win that completed a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues.
As they prepare to face the winner of the Minnesota Wild-Vegas Golden Knights series, there is some off-ice news.
The NHL Players’ Association filed an appeal of the eight-game suspension that the NHL handed forward Nazem Kadri for an illegal check to the head of Blues defenseman Justin Faulk. Kadri has already served two games.
Monday’s playoff games
All times Eastern
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New York Islanders at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m., NBCSN. Series tied 2-2.
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Toronto at Montreal, 7 p.m., NHL Network. Series tied 1-1
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Tampa Bay at Florida, 8 p.m., CNBC. Lightning lead 3-1
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Edmonton at Winnipeg, 9:45 p.m., NBCSN. Jets lead 3-0
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Minnesota at Vegas, 10:30 p.m., CNBC. Golden Knights lead 3-1
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL scores: Oilers collapse as Jets rally; Bruins looking dangerous