Perry, 40, helps Oilers to cusp of Cup Final return
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Kristen Shilton
EDMONTON, Alberta — Corey Perry has seen and done it all in his career. He is in elite company. So, why slow down now?
The Edmonton Oilers‘ veteran forward proved he’s potent as ever, scoring the game-winning goal and adding an assist in his club’s 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday. The Oilers lead 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and are one win away from a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final berth.
The second-period power-play strike was Perry’s sixth goal of the postseason. According to EPSN Research, he is now tied with Teemu Selanne, Mark Recchi, Ron Francis and Jean Beliveau for the most goals in a single postseason by a player who started that playoff run at age 39 or older.
Suffice it to say, Perry is the epitome of an ageless wonder for the Oilers.
“That would be huge [going back to the Cup Final],” Perry said. “I thought we got better as the game went on. There’s ups and downs in a game, in a series, but that one felt good going in the back of the net. It’s nice to see it go in and get the power play going again.”
Perry didn’t have a flawless night in Game 4 and was clearly frustrated with himself because of it. When Edmonton was ahead 1-0 in the second period, he was called for interference, and Dallas forward Jason Robertson evened the score on the ensuing power play. Perry could be seen in the box angrily throwing a towel in response to the equalizer.
“If it was interference or whatever, I was just trying to get to the bench,” Perry said of the infraction. “It happens a lot, but we found a way to get one over the line.”
Oh, yes, Perry didn’t let the tie score stand for long.
Barely two minutes later, the Oilers were on their own man advantage and Perry rifled a shot — off an excellent setup by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — past Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead it would never relinquish.
That helper by Nugent-Hopkins was his first of two on the night, making him the first player in 35 years to open a conference final with four multipoint performances (the longest streak belongs to legendary Oiler Wayne Gretzky, with five).
Leon Draisaitl called Nugent-Hopkins “the best player in the series.” Nugent-Hopkins was modest in his own assessment of what has gone right to this point.
“I think everybody is pretty locked in,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “We’re all trying to do our part and chip in. We needed the power play to step up, and we were ready and we wanted to and we’ve talked about scoring in the big moments when we’ve needed to.”
Perry capitalizing on his opportunity was critical to keeping the Oilers ahead as they grappled with having lost a key part of their offense in Zach Hyman. Edmonton’s top-line skater left in the first period after taking a hit from Mason Marchment. Hyman dropped his stick and immediately appeared to favor his right arm as he moved down the tunnel. He was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Hyman has been a force in the Oilers’ postseason run, with a league-leading 109 hits in 14 playoff games.
“He’s a huge piece,” goaltender Stuart Skinner said. “He’s a key piece. He is a cliché. He’s a hard worker, he grinds. He’s a leader in the room. He does all the little things right. And on top of that, he’s an amazing human being. You can ask anybody; everybody loves that guy.”
Coach Kris Knoblauch said he would have an update on Hyman — who was seen congratulating teammates in the dressing room after the game — on Wednesday.
The Oilers carried play even after Perry had them ahead 2-1, holding the Stars’ diminished attack at bay thanks to another stellar performance from Skinner. He is now 6-0 in Game 4 of a playoff series, with a 1.26 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage with two shutouts.
“I was feeling good,” Skinner said. “[The Stars] definitely brought it on. They were bringing it the whole game. But the way we all played as a team, we showed courage blocking shots. I felt good out there. Just trying to give my team the best chance every night.”
Dallas has stalled offensively since its Game 1 victory over Edmonton. The Stars were down 3-2 going into the second period of that tilt but opened the third with three power-play goals in less than six minutes to tee up a 6-3 victory. Since then, Dallas has been outscored 13-2 over three straight losses.
The Stars had hoped to get a boost up front from the return of Roope Hintz, who missed Game 3 (a 6-1 drubbing by the Oilers) with a lower-body injury suffered in Game 2 when Hintz was slashed by Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse.
But Dallas’ scoring woes continued in the first period, where it held a 39-16 edge in shot attempts but still gave up the first goal to Draisaitl on a power play. It was the fourth time in the series — and 14th time in 17 games — that Dallas has allowed the opening marker this postseason.
Trailing 1-0 going into the second frame, the Stars finally hit pay dirt when Robertson converted on their second power-play chance of the game. But it wouldn’t last, and Dallas was on its heels for most of the period from there.
Edmonton has owned the score sheet in that frame throughout the series, outscoring the Stars 6-2. And things didn’t improve in the third period either, with the Stars being outshot 8-2 with eight minutes left in regulation. And per Natural Stat Trick, they recorded just one high-danger chance in the final two periods of Game 4.
Now, the Stars are on the brink of elimination as the series shifts back to Dallas. Regardless of how well the Oilers have played to this point, there’s no question they’re prepared for the Stars’ best when Game 5 begins on Thursday.
“We’re going to Dallas to have the chance to move on to the Stanley Cup Final,” Draisaitl said. “If that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. But that will be the toughest game of the series. We know that. We’ve been in that situation. Yup. Get ready for it. We know there are certain areas we can clean up and be better at, but overall I think we’re playing a pretty good game right now.”
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs righty Jameson Taillon was placed on the injured list on Friday with a right calf strain, the team announced before its game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s expected to miss “more than a month,” according to manager Craig Counsell.
Taillon, 33, injured his calf on his last wind sprint after a bullpen session on Thursday.
“He’s going to miss a pretty significant amount of time,” Counsell said.
Taillon was 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA in 17 starts for the Cubs this season who just got lefty Shota Imanaga back from a hamstring injury. Now they’ll have to navigate at least the rest of this month without one of their other key starters.
“There’s a little room for us to be flexible right now,” Counsell said citing the upcoming All-Star break. “We’ll use that to our advantage and we’ll go from there.”
The team recalled left-hander Jordan Wicks to take Taillon’s spot on the roster, though he won’t go directly into the rotation. Instead, the Cubs will throw a bullpen game on Saturday against the Cardinals and “go from there,” according to Counsell.
Wicks, 25, went 1-3 with one save, a 4.06 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 12 appearances (11 starts) with Triple-A Iowa this season. In his past five starts dating to May 18, he posted a 1.65 ERA with 20 strikeouts, compared to just three walks, a 0.86 WHIP and a .186 opponent batting average.
The team might also consider a bigger role for righty Chris Flexen who has been fantastic for them out of the bullpen. Flexen, 31, has a 0.62 ERA in 16 games, including a four inning stint late last month.
“He’s a candidate to be stretched out for sure,” Counsell said. “He’s prepared to do a little bit more.”
Cubs brass have already stated they are looking for starting pitching before the trade deadline later this month. Counsell was asked if Taillon’s injury increases that need. He didn’t take the bait.
“The trade deadline isn’t until July 31,” he said. “I’m focused on the next week or 10 games before the All-Star break.”
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