Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7

The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.

They'll need one more game.

The Edmonton Oilers — paced by Ryan Nugent Hopkins, with a goal and two assists, and Connor McDavid, with three helpers — avoided elimination from the National Hockey League playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.

The decisive Game 7 is scheduled for Monday in Vancouver.

Goalie Stuart Skinner, who had sat out the previous two games in favour of backup Calvin Pickard, stopped 14 Canucks shot in the victory, while counterpart Arturs Silovs made 22 saves for the Canucks.

Dylan Holloway opened the soring 8:16 into the game, carrying the puck into the Canucks zone and fooling defenceman Phillip Hronek on a deft deke to skate in alone on Silovs, beating him five-hole to put the Oilers up 1-0.

The lead lasted less than a minute and a half, however, with the Canucks tying it 1-1 on a goal by Nils Hoglander, who managed two cracks at the puck in the crease on a feed from behind the net from fellow forward Elias Pettersson, the second attempt getting by Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner at 10:03.

The teams traded chances late in the opening frame, with Leon Draisaitl taking a feed from the corner for an open chance on Silovs at 16:30, the shot sailing wide. Less than a minute and a half later, Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm caught up to a streaking Elias Lindholm, who was heading up ice on a partial breakaway, forcing a bad angle shot that Skinner stopped.