Canucks score four unanswered goals to edge Oilers in Game 1 of series

Conor Garland's snapshot with five-and-a-half minutes left in the third period capped a three-goal run in a five-minute span, lifting the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round National Hockey League playoff series.

Conor Garland's snapshot with five-and-a-half minutes left in the third period capped a three-goal run inside a five-minute span, lifting the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round National Hockey League playoff series.

With the Rogers Arena crowd still buzzing from defenceman Nikita Zadorov's blast from the point to beat Stuart Skinner 39 seconds before, winger Garland's shot from a sharp angle 20 feet out fooled the Oilers' starting goalie, beating him between the legs to give the Canucks their first lead of the game.

Down 4-2 heading into the third period, Canucks centre J.T. Miller redirected a Brock Boeser shot from inside the blue line from a bad angle past Skinner to energize the home fans.

The Oilers managed just one shot in the final frame before pulling Skinner with 2:09 left in the game, putting three shots on Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs during a furious effort at game's end.

"There were strange goals all around," Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who recorded an assist and thought his team was "doing a good job of holding the lead," told media following the game.

"We scored some strange ones, too. It was kind of a frantic game, and you're going to get that. Definitely some weird ones, some preventable ones, too, but overall, I didn't mind our game."

The Canucks rally came following a second period in which the Pacific Division rivals each notched two goals.