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Next Game: Western Conference semifinal, Game 2 Edmonton Oilers @ Vegas Golden Knights
T-Mobile Arena, tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. |
Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman skates with the puck against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal seres at T-Mobile Arena on May 6, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Candice Ward /Getty Images. |
Look out, Edmonton Oilers striking some fear into the playoff picture |
By Robert Tychkowski
When Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are just pieces of the puzzle and not the entire picture, you know something special is happening.
When unsung depth players are riding to the rescue in the biggest moments, when the improbable is starting to look routine and when a team with this much world-class talent lists composure and savvy as its greatest weapons, look out.
In other words, the Vegas Golden Knights might have a very big problem on their hands. After a mediocre season, capped by a flood of injuries and one of the most troubling stretch-drives in team history, and a horrible first two games of the playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers are finally showing everyone who they really are.
And it’s a little scary.
Ask the Los Angeles Kings, who were up by two goals, just half a period away from taking a 3-1 stranglehold in their opening-round series. They had the Oilers right where they wanted them. They were outshot 33-13 in the third period and overtime of Game 4 and 46-22 in Game 5 and are still wondering what hit them as they line up their off-season putts.
And you can ask the Golden Knights that same question. Vegas finished first in the Pacific Division and third in the NHL with 110 points, took down Minnesota in the first round and were up 2-0 on the Oilers before Game 1 of their second-round series was 10 minutes old.
They were a big, power team that had the Oilers right where they wanted them. And now they’re left to figure out just how bad things really are after a 4-2 loss that cost them home ice advantage and left them looking, at times, like Edmonton’s best game might be too much for them.
You don’t get outshot 12-1 in the second period on home ice in the playoffs, and get outscored 3-0 in the third period, without a little self-doubt creeping in.
It took 84 and a half games before the Oilers started to realize a potential that a lot of people never thought they’d see, but it’s here now and it’s something to see.
“This team is built for the playoffs, we’re built with guys who have experience, who’ve been here, who can take their game to another level,” said Oilers winger Zach Hyman, who looks around the room and doesn’t see a single weak link.
“I think we have a long way to go here.”
The Oilers certainly look like a team that can go deep again. They’re coming at their opponents from all angles: As if McDavid and Draisaitl playing together on the same line isn’t enough of a problem, Edmonton’s other 10 forwards have 20 goals through seven games. |
▶️ WATCH: Oilers defenceman John Klingberg speaks to media after Game 1 win |
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5 THINGS: EDMONTON OILERS STRIKE GOLD IN SERIES OPENER AGAINST VEGAS |
The Edmonton Oilers found a way to beat the Vegas Golden Knights at their own game.
That’s right. Whether it was counting cards, smoke and mirrors or having an inside man on the take, the Oilers managed to beat the house. They went in and won against Las Vegas’s built-in advantage.
Only they weren’t in a casino on the strip, but rather on the ice at T-Mobile Arena. And it wasn’t a game of chance, but playing good ol’ fashioned patient hockey that had the Oilers falling behind early and hanging in just long enough to cash in at the end and emerge victorious, 4-2.
Here are five factors the Oilers have on their side early on in Round 2:
The Oilers won by following the Golden Knights’ own style; rolling four lines and matching depth against an opponent with perhaps the deepest roster in the league, no less. And they did it despite having a top-heavy roster of their own where not a lot of goal scoring tends to trickle downward.
Sure, the Oilers top line still came up flush, with both Corey Perry and Leon Draisaitl finding the back of the net, which is to be expected with an ace-in-the-hole like Connor McDavid setting up their goals. But the second and third lines also scored, while not a single player on the Oilers ended up with a negative plus-minus rating.
It was about as good of an all-around effort for a team formerly known not so long ago as little more than Two Guys and a Power Play.
And just like that, the Oilers singlehandedly erased the home-ice advantage the Golden Knights fought so hard over the regular season to achieve by winning the Pacific Division. |
| EDMONTON OILERS SEND GOLDEN KNIGHTS A CHILLING MESSAGE IN GAME 1 WIN
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Slow start: Check. Crazy comeback: Check. Dominating playoff performance: Check. The Edmonton Oilers didn’t just win a game Tuesday night, they delivered a rather chilling message to the Vegas Golden Knights in posting their fifth-consecutive comeback win of these playoffs.
The underdogs in what was supposed to be an uphill battle against the first-place team in the Pacific Division tore a strip right through the hosts in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.
They overcame a 2-0 deficit with four-straight goals, they thoroughly dominated Vegas in the second period, they held them to four even-strength shots through 40 minutes and won a Game 1 for just the third time in the last 13 series openers.
“Our start was a little hectic, taking the four-minute penalty and getting behind by two,” said veteran Corey Perry, who scored his 57th career playoff goal in the first period. “But we stuck with it and found a way.”
They’ve been doing that a lot, lately.
“The guys here have played a lot of playoff hockey, they know what it takes,” said defenceman John Klingberg, who’s gone from pleasant surprise to a key ingredient on Edmonton’s blue line. “In the playoffs you have to know how to win in different scenarios.”
This is certainly different.
An Oilers team that is notorious for starting slowly absolutely burst onto the scene in a heavyweight showdown between the last two Western Conference champions. |
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Edmonton Oilers 2025 Stanley Cup playoff statistics
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Connor McDavid: 7 GP, 2 G, 11 A, 13 PTS
Leon Draisaitl: 7 GP, 4 G, 8 A, 12 PTS Zach Hyman: 7 GP, 3 G, 3 3 A, 6 PTS Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 7 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 PTS Connor Brown: 7 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 PTS
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Evan Bouchard: 7 GP, 4 G, 5 A, 9 PTS Darnell Nurse: 7 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 PTS -
John Klingberg: 6 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS
- Brett Kulak: 7 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS
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Calvin Pickard: 5 GP, 4-0-0, .891 SV%, 2.76 GAA Stuart Skinner: 2 GP, 0-2-0, .810 SV%, 6.11 GAA
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Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl celebrates his third-period goal with teammates during Game 1 of the Western Conference semi final against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on May 6, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images. |
Edmonton Oilers come from behind in dominant fashion to take Game 1 from Vegas 4-2: Cult of Hockey Player Grades
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By Kurt Leavins The Edmonton Oilers draw first blood in Round Two of their Stanley Cup Playoffs Series with the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
It was a come-from behind effort. The Oilers were on the back foot early due to a Nugent-Hopkins double-minor. But they recovered from down 2-0 and carried the play from there, out-shooting Vegas 12-1 in the second and heading to the final frame down 2-1, but 0/2 on the PP.
But Leon Draisaitl tied it at the 00:57 mark of the third. Zach Hyman ripped home the eventual winner at 16:58. Then, Connor Brown’s extra effort potted the 4-2 insurance goal.
Little argument that the better team tonight did not win. Fourteen Grade “A” shots, according to David’s count. Seven from the Bottom six. Depth!
Here’s the tale of the tape…
CALVIN PICKARD. 7. A double deflection from a point shot beat Pickard on the first Power Play for the 1-0. Big stop on Theordore after the former had split the Oilers D and swooped in alone. On the 2-0 the high forward did not pick up his check allowing Stone to walk right down the gut. Nice pass up the middle to send McDavid and Draisaitl away on a rush. A zone clear (!), two stops on Olofsson and a point-blank stuff on Hertl all on one third period PK. That save on Hertl was his best of the bight. Handled the puck expertly for his D-men. Stopped fifteen of seventeen. All he does is win!
CONNOR McDAVID. 7. Faced off against Vegas’ best line and ultimately came out on top. Swallowed the Draisaitl pass and then spotted the wide-open Corey Perry net side for the 2-1. Hard wrist shot found nothing but glove early in the second. Fed Bouchard for a hard power play slapper. Ripped a hard wrist shot on the PP but Hill stretched all the way put to (just barely) glove it. High speed zone entry for an assist on the 2-2. It was fun watching he and Eichel match up against one another. Two terrific players going at it!
LEON DRAISAITL. 7. O-zone turnover on the 2-0. But it was all up hill from there. Placed a puck perfectly across to McDavid who was darting through the middle on the 2-1. Shot from the high slot on the PP from a nice setup by The Nuge. Terrific hand-eye coordination to find the loose puck and back-hand it off Hill and in for the tying goal. Arduous work along the wall earned a safe zone clear late. Led the team in 5v5 CF (17-6, 74%). A whopping 73% on faceoffs.
COREY PERRY. 6. Fails to shoulder check on the Vegas 3-on-3, and the high man Stone was able to walk right in and for it five-hole for the 2-0. Got open, received McDavid’s pass, and then patiently pulled the goalie out of position and slid it home for the 2-1. Chemistry with Leon and Connor. What a season he is enjoying.
DARNELL NURSE. 7. A couple PK clears in the first. On for the 1-0 goal. Swept away a puck sitting wide open in the slot late in the first before a Golden Knight could hammer it home. Huge poke check in his own zone kicked off the sequence that led to the 3-2. Three blocks, two hits. Only allowed two High Dangers Scoring Chances against 5v5 on his watch. Strong effort.
EVAN BOUCHARD. 8. His man ultimately deflected the 1-0 home right in front. Cross-ice feed to McDavid for an early second frame shot. Blasted a slapper on the PP off a McDavid feed. Fired it on net, where Draisaitl tapped home the rebound for the 2-2. Assist on Brown’s 4-2 effort. Two blocks and a hit, +3 in 26:27. Defended more like we saw last playoffs. Only allowed a single HDSC against 5v5.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 6. Correctly whistled for a double minor early in the first and Vegas scored on the first opportunity to make it 1-0. Fed Draisaitl for a spin-around attempt from the bumper on the PP. A pass through a seam to Kane to earn the secondary assist on the 3-2. 62% on the dot.
EVANDER KANE. 6. Jamb chance in the first. Solid play after the puck drop enabled the puck to slip through to Frederic who rang the bar. Solid back check on a developing Vegas play late in the first. Tough second period shift where he failed the get it out up the wall twice. Fed Hyman for the primary assist on the 3-2. Five hits. Amazing what he is doing after missing an entire season.
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▶️ The Cult of Hockey's "Oilers waves of depth throttle Vegas in Game 1" podcast
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