The Edmonton Oilers found themselves in a familiar spot on Wednesday night.
Down 2-1 for the second straight series, the Oilers needed a response to get the series back on their term.
And once again, Edmonton delivered.
With the win, the Oilers now find themselves as a -170 favorite to win the series and they have been tapped as -130 favorites in Vegas on Friday night.
(10 p.m. ET)
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After getting outclassed at 5-on-5 in a terrible performance in Game 3, the Oilers responded with a resounding effort in Game 4.
Not only did the Oilers outscore the Knights, 3-1, at 5-on-5, but they had a +11 shot differential (24 to 13) and they doubled-up Vegas in both expected goals (1.6 to 0.8) and high-danger scoring chances (8 to 4).
If Edmonton is playing that well at 5-on-5, it’s nearly impossible to handle because you know that the Oilers will get plenty of looks on the power play.
Through the first three games of the series, the Knights were generally able to tilt the ice in the right direction at 5-on-5 and they were winning the goaltending battle.
That all changed in Game 4, as Vegas made some uncharacteristic mistakes and Adin Hill was off the mark in the opening stages of his first-ever start in a playoff game.
Hill, who replaced Laurent Brossoit in Game 3 after Brossoit was injured, did settle in after the first period, but the damage was done by that point.
Whether the Knights tap Hill again for Game 5 or opt to go with No. 3 goalie Jonathan Quick, the goaltending situation for Vegas is murky at best at this point.
It’s not much more stable in Edmonton, where Stuart Skinner has been uneven through the first 10 games of his playoff career.
Three of the first four games in this series stayed under the total, but it’s hard to imagine that trend continuing with the way this goaltending matchup is trending.
It’s never a bad idea to back the over when the Oilers take the ice and that’s where I’ll look on Friday night.
Over 7 goals (+110, BetMGM)