For a rookie, an extra degree of difficulty in the playoffs is common. The regular season also had its challenges for the 22-year-old left wing from Pickering, Ontario.
After helping North Dakota to the NCAA Division I championship in 2016, Caggiula had his NHL debut delayed until Nov. 19 because of a hip injury he sustained in the preseason. He missed the first 18 games of the season and finished with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 60 games.
He was a healthy scratch for three games March 10-14, then settled into a steady role on the third line with center Mark Letestu and right wing Zack Kassian. Caggiula had seven points (three goals, four assists) in the final 13 games of the regular season.
In Game 4 against the Ducks, Caggiula was among McLellan's "good hands" group when the Oilers pulled Talbot for an extra skater in the final two minutes of the third period. When the rebound of a Nugent-Hopkins shot landed on his stick near the Anaheim net, Caggiula was in the right place at the right time and had the right reaction: a soft, quick lift of the puck past Ducks goalie John Gibson.
"At that point in time, pucks are going to be funneled to the net," Caggiula said. "You just have to find a quiet area in behind the D, a soft area not necessarily right in the blue paint but in a softer, quiet area and fortunately the puck bounced right to me. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. But you have to find that soft area and make sure you don't get tied up."
Caggiula, who played 12:08 and had three shots and four hits Wednesday, said he was mindful of the bigger picture, including how quickly the Oilers are learning how to deal with the extremes of emotions in the playoffs.
"It's still a 2-2 series," Caggiula said. "It's not like we're trailing or anything like that. We were successful in their barn last time and hopefully we can keep it going. We're in the same situation last series, tied 2-2 with San Jose. We've got some guys who've been through this before and this group has been through it last series and we know how to handle it as well."