The Vegas Golden Knights are in the middle of a slump but will need to break through their scoring drought tonight as they take on the Edmonton Oilers in the second half of a back-to-back.
The Golden Knights are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames, who potted the game-winning goal with just 4.8 seconds remaining in overtime. William Karlsson scored the lone goal for Vegas.
Vegas has now dropped seven of its last 10 games and has scored just three goals in that span. The Golden Knights (14-5-3) remain in first place in the division, but Los Angeles is now ahead in points percentage.
Needless to say, for the Golden Knights to come away with two points tonight, they will need to capitalize on their scoring chances against a potent Oilers offense that has scored 13 goals in the last two games.
Edmonton (7-12-1) is in seventh place in the division with 15 points, just three more than San Jose.
The Oilers started the season on a 2-7-1 run with zero wins on home ice. The club recently fired head coach Jay Woodcroft and replaced him with Kris Knoblauch. However, some of the same problems that have plagued the Oilers early on — shoddy goaltending, lackluster defensive play and a lack of secondary scoring — still remain. The Oilers are 4-3-0 since the coaching change.
But tonight’s game will be the first meeting between the Golden Knights and Oilers since Vegas ended Edmonton’s playoff run with a 5-2 win in Game 6 to advance to the Western Conference Final back in May. As such, Vegas could be facing a highly motivated Oilers team. Tonight’s tilt is sure to be an emotional and competitive game.
It could be a high-scoring affair, which won’t do the Golden Knights any favors. However, netminder Stuart Skinner has been inconsistent all year, so Vegas has to take full advantage.
The majority of Edmonton’s offense comes from the top of the lineup.
Leon Draisaitl leads the way with 28 points, while Connor McDavid is close behind with 25 after recording five points in Edmonton’s 8-2 win against Anaheim over the weekend. Zach Hyman has a team-high 12 goals and is third in scoring with 22 points, while defenseman Evan Bouchard has 20. Evander Kane is second on the team with 10 goals and fifth in scoring with 19 points, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has 18.
In total, those six players — five of the six forwards in the top six and Edmonton’s top offensive defenseman — have combined for 132 points this season. The rest of the team has 50.
The Golden Knights are 8-9-2 (4-4-2 at Rogers Place) in the all-time regular-season matchup and went 1-2-1 in last year’s season series.
2022-23 VGK vs. EDM season recap
Note: For a look back at the second-round playoff series, use the buttons below.
Regular season (1-2-1)
Game #1 (19 of 82): Vegas @ Edmonton (4-3 EDM, OT)
Mark Stone scored on his first career penalty shot in a two-goal performance, but McDavid won it for the Oilers 77 seconds into overtime, handing Vegas its first OT loss of the season.
Game #2 (44 of 82): Vegas vs. Edmonton (4-2 EDM)
The Golden Knights gave up two goals in the first two minutes of the game and were never able to recover in an overall sloppy effort. Vegas scored at 13:39 of the second to pull within one, but Edmonton stormed back and scored 18 seconds later. Vegas added a goal in the final minute of the frame, but it wasn’t enough for the win.
Game #3 (73 of 82): Vegas at Edmonton (4-3 VGK, OT)
Pavel Dorofeyev netted a power-play goal to give Vegas a 2-1 lead late in the first. Draisaitl evened things up in the second, and both teams lit the lamp in the third to set up overtime. Nicolas Roy scored the game-winner for the second game in a row since returning from injury.
Game #4 (74 of 82): Vegas vs. Edmonton (7-4 EDM)
The Golden Knights failed to clinch a playoff spot in an overall ugly loss. Edmonton scored three straight goals in the second and added a fourth early in the third to put the game out of reach. The Oilers went 3-for-3 on the power play, and Edmonton’s top players (McDavid, Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman) combined for 11 points.
Special teams report
Power play
Vegas: 22.1 percent (17-for-77) — 11th overall
Edmonton: 25.7 percent (19-for-74) — 6th overall
Penalty kill
Vegas: 86.6 percent (58-for-69) — 6th overall
Edmonton: 77.2 percent (61-for-79) — 20th overall
In the crease
Golden Knights
Logan Thompson — Record: 5-3-1 | GAA: 2.32 | SV%: .922
Oilers
Stuart Skinner — Record: 6-7-1 | GAA: 3.28 | SV%: .877
Keys to the game
Discipline: The Oilers have the sixth-ranked power play in the NHL, but the Golden Knights saw firsthand in the playoffs what Edmonton’s man-advantage is capable of. Giving McDavid and Draisaitl time and space is a dangerous move, and though the Golden Knights have been stellar on the penalty kill, it will be important to stay out of the box tonight. Tensions were high in the playoffs last year, with Kane’s post-whistle antics, Alex Pietrangelo’s two-handed slash and plenty of animosity. The Golden Knights are frustrated by their lack of scoring; Vegas can’t allow that frustration to spill over and lead to costly penalties.
Light the lamp: The Golden Knights have scored three goals in four games, none of which have come at 5-on-5. They have gotten plenty of chances but haven’t been able to finish. That needs to change.
Find a way: The Golden Knights found ways to win early in the season. Though they’re no longer getting the bounces, the Golden Knights have been playing a well-rounded game.
“We’ve kept to our identity,” Bruce Cassidy said after Monday’s loss in Calgary. “We’re still not giving up grade A’s after grade A’s, cheating all over the ice. We’re trying to stay in the game by playing our team game, and then get out of this by scoring. … Don’t mistake that for us trying to win a 1-0 game every night; it’s not what we want to do. But right now if you’re not scoring, that’s what’s in front of you. You have to get points.”
But at a certain point, and especially against the Oilers, the Golden Knights need to make their own luck.
To do so, the Golden Knights need to get more bodies to the net and generate more shots through traffic. Vegas has to force the goalie to make a save through a screen and then pounce on second-chance opportunities. One way or another, the Golden Knights have to power their way to the net and out of this scoring skid.
Projected lineups
Golden Knights
Chandler Stephenson — Jack Eichel — Mark Stone
Ivan Barbashev — William Karlsson — Jonathan Marchessault
William Carrier — Nicolas Roy — Michael Amadio
Paul Cotter — Brett Howden — Keegan Kolesar
Alec Martinez — Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb — Kaedan Korczak
Ben Hutton — Zach Whitecloud
Logan Thompson
Adin Hill
Oilers
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Connor McDavid — Zach Hyman
Evander Kane — Leon Draisaitl — Connor Brown
Warren Foegele — Ryan McLeod — Derek Ryan
Mattias Janmark — James Hamblin — Adam Erne
Darnell Nurse — Cody Ceci
Mattias Ekholm — Evan Bouchard
Brett Kulak — Vincent Desharnais
Stuart Skinner
Calvin Pickard
How to watch
Game 23: Golden Knights at Oilers
When: 6 p.m. PT
Where: Rogers Place — Edmonton, AB
TV: Scripps
Radio: Fox Sports 98.9 FM