Oilers rally to beat Stars, tie Western Conference Final

With the Edmonton Oilers down two goals late in the first period of Game 4, Rogers Place was quiet, fans seemingly bewildered at the early, quick scoring of the Dallas Stars and the slow start by the home team. Ryan McLeod's marker with six-and-a-half minutes in the opening frame left changed all that.

With the Edmonton Oilers shut out and down two goals late in the first period of Game 4 Thursday night, spectators at Rogers Place were quiet, seemingly bewildered at the early, quick scoring of the Dallas Stars and the slow start by the home team.

Ryan McLeod's marker with six-and-a-half minutes in the opening frame left changed all that.

The Oilers forward, who returned to the lineup after being scratched the previous game, scored off the rebound of a shot by Corey Perry to make the score 2-1 to give his team, and the crowd, life.

McLeod's goal and Perry's assist were the first points of the playoffs for both forwards.

Less than three minutes later, defenceman Evan Bouchard swatted in a rebound off a Connor McDavid shot, sending the two sides to their dressing rooms with a tie game.

The Oilers came close to closing out the first period with a third goal while on the power play when a McDavid redirection bounced off Stars goalie Jake Oettinger's stick — which had been knocked away from him — lying on the goal line.

In a second period dominated by Edmonton, Mattias Janmark put the Oilers ahead 3-2 with a shorthanded goal, followed less than a minute later by a goal from Leon Draisaitl, who hadn't registered a point since Game 1 of the Western Conference Final.