Making big comebacks has become the name of the game for the Edmonton Oilers during playoff season. In fact, this year, it looked like the LA Kings would finally defeat the Oilers in the postseason for the first time since 1989. Yet, the Oilers mounted comeback after comeback, and aren’t done. The Vegas Golden Knights discovered the hard way. However, Round 2, Game 1, nearly had a different kind of highlight besides another blistering Oilers comeback.

So what happened? Well, veteran NHL linesman Jonny Murray would know. That’s because the reliable man on the blue line literally found himself on a precarious perch during the Oilers vs. Knights’ clash. The high-octane playoff contest saw both teams giving it their all as Edmonton dialed up the heat. At one point, that heat nearly manifested in a three-man collision involving Murray, Keegan Kolessar, and Mattias Janmark.

As Janmark tried to squeeze the puck through the gap between the Knights’ defense, Kolessar tried to choke the Edmonton Oilers’ advance, but there was only one problem. As Kolessar shoulder-charged Janmark near the blue line, the duo would’ve inevitably smashed into Murray. The only reason Jonny Murray escaped was due to his lightning-fast reflexes and jumping skills.

Yes! Jumping skill, which the NHL official masterfully used to jump backward onto the Golden Knights’ bench, narrowly avoiding the collision. “So you want to be an NHL linesman? Ask Johnny Murray… Right into the back of his bench,” said the announcer with a hint of amusement. Unfortunately, Murray didn’t walk away unscathed. “Crawls his way out. Hopefully he’s alright,” added another announcer as the ref made a painful expression while claiming over the boards.

Thankfully, this time, the hockey linesman remained on the ice for the rest of the Edmonton Oilers vs. Vegas game. After all, Murray did get so lucky in January. In a somewhat similar situation, Colorado’s Devon Toews and Jets’ Kyle Connor collided near Murray and clipped his knee. While Murray returned after the 2nd period collision, he couldn’t continue for long. So it’s safe to say he didn’t want to experience that pain a second time, especially during the playoffs.

The Edmonton Oilers game nearly added to an unflattering playoff stat

The second round of the NHL playoffs between the Edmonton Oilers and Golden Knghts almost brought back a worrying trend from the first round. If you guessed that trend had something to do with officials and injuries, then you’d be right. You see, the first few Round 1 games saw officials sustain almost as many hits as the players themselves. That might sound like an exaggeration, but three injured officials after just a few games is not business as usual, even for the NHL.

Linesman Bryan Pancich was the first official to bite the dust. Coincidentally, it happened during Game 1 between the Minnesota Wild and the Vegas Golden Knights. Just 3:37 into the second period, Vegas forward Brett Howden collided with Pancich. The accidental hit happened when Howden was focused on giving down the puck and slammed into Bryan Pancich.

Andrew Smith became the second linesman to exit a playoff game when the St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets (Game 2). While the NHL didn’t disclose the nature of the linesman’s injury, the next incident didn’t need any description. A puck hit referee Scott Cherry in the back during the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers game on April 23.

“Stripes are dropping like flies! That’s the THIRD liney down these playoffs,” wrote Spittin’ Chiclets while posting the clip of Nikita Kucherov’s shot hitting Cherry. So it’s not a surprise that Jonny Murray didn’t want to add to this statistic in Game 1 between the Edmonton Oilers and Golden Knights. So what did you think of Murray’s dodging skills? Let us know in the comments.