The Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers will kick off what is expected to be an intense, high-octane battle between two bitter rivals when the two clubs hit the ice for Game 1 tonight at T-Mobile Arena. The best-of-seven, second-round series features two Pacific Division contenders going head to head with Cup-or-bust expectations and championship aspirations.
It has been two years since the Golden Knights eliminated the Oilers in six games in the second round and went on to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup for the first time in franchise history. With tremendous skill, grit, leadership and experience on both benches — in addition to deep-seated animosity just waiting to be reignited — this rematch has all the makings of an epic duel.
The 2023 meeting consisted of six games, 41 goals, 312 penalty minutes, two suspensions, four goalies and plenty of bad blood. Since then, both teams have reached the Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers in five games in 2023, while the Edmonton Oilers fell one win shy against Florida in 2024 after clawing their way back from a 3-0 series deficit, only to lose 2-1 in Game 7. As a result, the stakes have risen substantially, and both teams are left with much more to lose.
The Golden Knights became the fastest expansion franchise to win the Stanley Cup in NHL history, but they are eager to add to their trophy case and raise another banner to the rafters. The Oilers are hoping to follow in the Panthers’ footsteps by returning to the Final and rewriting last year’s heartbreaking finish.
Only one team will be victorious. Only one team will go on to face Winnipeg or Dallas with a chance to take one step closer to the ultimate prize. The other will simply go home empty-handed with a chance to lament the result and agonize over missed opportunities and what might have been.
That is the blunt reality and brutal (yet exhilarating) nature of playoff hockey. The line between winning and losing is razor thin. Both teams are confident they have what it takes. Now they just have to go out and prove it.
How they got here
After winning the Pacific Division title for the fourth time in eight seasons, the Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild in six games to advance to the second round for the fifth time in eight seasons. The Golden Knights improved as the series wore on and were able to overcome a 2-1 hole by winning three straight games, two of which required overtime. Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden scored the game-winning goals in Games 4 and 5, respectively, and Jack Eichel and Mark Stone combined for seven points in the final two games, with Stone netting the series-clincher with 3:58 remaining in regulation in Game 6.
The Oilers finished third in the Pacicic Division and drew the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for the fourth consecutive year. Unlike previous installments of the matchup, the Kings had home-ice advantage this year and were expected to finally slay their Alberta-based demon. But after taking a 2-0 series lead, the Kings proceeded to lose four straight. Edmonton overcame deficits in all six games. The Oilers were held to fewer than three goals only once in the series.
Calvin Pickard replaced Stuart Skinner late in Game 2 and took over as the starter beginning in Game 3. He proceeded to go 4-0 with a 2.93 goals-against average and .893 save percentage. His numbers weren’t spectacular, but he stabilized the crease for Edmonton and backstopped the comeback. After Skinner yielded 11 goals in less than two games, Pickard turned aside 108 of 121 shots, allowing 13 goals overall and 12 in four starts.
Though it hasn’t been made official, Pickard is expected to get the nod in Game 1, which would mark the first time he starts a playoff series as the No. 1 netminder.
Ironically, Pickard was the first player selected by Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft. He never suited up for the Golden Knights, though, as he was traded to Toronto on the first day of the 2017-18 campaign.
The two teams split the season series, though Edmonton won the final two games.
April 1 — Oilers 3, Golden Knights 2 (RECAP)
The Golden Knights ended a six-game winning streak but still managed to clinch a playoff berth in the loss. McDavid, Mattias Ekholm and Skinner were out of the lineup, but Edmonton scored three times in the second period. The Golden Knights scored early in the third to make it 3-2 but were unable to tie the game. Pickard stopped 20 of 22 shots (.909).
Vegas goals: Nicolas Roy (12), Pavel Dorofeyev (32)
Edmonton goals: Jake Walman (7), Draisaitl (52-PPG), Viktor Arvidsson (12)
Dec. 14 — Oilers 6, Golden Knights 3 (RECAP)
The Golden Knights fell behind 5-0 after giving up four goals in the second period. Though Vegas scored two goals in 26 seconds before the end of the middle frame and then another one minute into the third, they gave up a goal 38 seconds later and weren’t able to recover. The Oilers capitalized on all of Vegas’ mistakes, and the Golden Knights didn’t finish their chances.
Vegas goals: Victor Olofsson (5), Barbashev (15), Brett Howden (11-SHG)
Edmonton goals: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (6-PPG), Zach Hyman (8), Connor Brown (5), Draisaitl (22), Corey Perry (6), Jeff Skinner (6)
Dec. 4 —Golden Knights 1, Oilers 0 (RECAP)
This marked the first time in 80 years that a game was played with zero penalty minutes and just one goal. It was a sound defensive effort by the Golden Knights. McDavid and Draisaitl were held off the scoresheet, and Hill stopped 28 shots for his second shutout of the year.
Vegas goals: Barbashev (13)
Edmonton goals: NA
Nov. 6 —Golden Knights 4, Oilers 2 (RECAP)
The Golden Knights picked up their first road win of the season after starting out with an 0-3-1 record away from T-Mobile Arena. Noah Hanifin scored twice in a three-goal third period for Vegas, with Hanifin’s game-winner coming in the final 49 seconds in regulation. Hill stopped 27 of 29 shots (.931).
Goals
Vegas: Eichel (4), Hanifin (2-PPG), Hanifin (3), Stone (6-EN)
Edmonton: Brett Kulak (3), Hyman (3),
By the numbers
REGULAR SEASON
Record
Vegas: 50-22-10—110 (3rd)
Edmonton: 48-29-5—101 (9th)
Leading scorers
Vegas: Eichel (26-66—94), Stone (19-48—67), Tomas Hertl (32-29—61), Shea Theodore (7-50—57)
Edmonton: Draisaitl (52-54—106), McDavid (26-74—100), Evan Bouchard (14-53—67)
Goals for (per game)
Vegas: 3.34 (5th)
Edmonton: 3.16 (11th)
Goals against (per game)
Vegas: 2.61 (3rd)
Edmonton: 2.87 (14th)
Shots for (per game)
Vegas: 30.3 (4th)
Edmonton: 32.0 (1st)
Shots against (per game)
Vegas: 26.1 (4th)
Edmonton: 27.0 (9th)
Power play
Vegas: 28.3 percent (2nd)
Edmonton: 23.7 percent (12th)
Penalty kill
Vegas: 78.2 percent (16th)
Edmonton: 75.7 percent (26th)
FIRST ROUND
Leading scorers
Vegas: Hertl (3-2—5), Eichel (1-4—5), Stone (2-2—4), Theodore (2-2—4)
Edmonton: McDavid (2-9—11), Draisaitl (3-7—10), Bouchard (4-3—7)
Goals for (per game)
Vegas: 3.00 (12th)
Edmonton: 4.50 (1st)
Goals against (per game)
Vegas: 3.17 (9th)
Edmonton: 4.00 (15th)
Shots for (per game)
Vegas: 32.2 (4th)
Edmonton: 35.2 (2nd)
Shots against (per game)
Vegas: 25.5 (5th)
Edmonton: 29.8 (12th)
Power play
Vegas: 27.8 percent (6th)
Edmonton: 38.5 percent (2nd)
Penalty kill
Vegas: 76.9 percent (8th)
Edmonton: 60.0 percent (16th)
Keys to the series
Tame the beast
The Golden Knights were overwhelmed by the skilled duo of Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy in the first half of the series against the Wild. But the two-headed beast of McDavid and Draisaitl is on another level and will present Vegas with an extreme test. Containing two of the most skilled players in the game is a tall task, and it will be further complicated by the fact that Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch will play them together but also on separate lines. Figuring out that balance between overmanaging matchups and giving Vegas its best chance against elite skill will be an ongoing challenge for Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy was forced to put William Karlsson with Eichel and Stone in order to neutralize Minnesota’s stacked top line (that also featured Joel Eriksson Ek), and that’s certainly a strategy he will employ at times during this series.
Cassidy said he’s “not a huge line match guy” but “there are exceptions to every rule… They have a couple players that are exceptions to the rule. So you’re keeping an eye on that. No disrespect to the rest of the group, but those guys are MVP’s of the league, so you have to be mindful when they’re coming over the boards to try to sort of get the matchup you’d prefer.”
But Cassidy said he won’t tweak Vegas’ chemistry and won’t overmanage the line matching. “I’ve just felt I don’t like to lose the rhythm of our team, as much as anything. Edmonton presents different challenges because of those two players, when they’re together and when they’re apart.”
Cassidy also said he may change up the defense pairings depending on how Edmonton deploys its superstars. He mentioned that he used both Hanifin and Nic Hague with Alex Pietrangelo against Minnesota and that he expects to do that in this series as well.
In the 2023 series, the Golden Knights had Eichel, Stone and Karlsson on three separate lines. Karlsson was a defensive juggernaut in that series, and he became a critical component of Vegas’ success, with former Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft going so far as to keep McDavid on the bench when Karlsson was roaming the ice. While Cassidy believes Vegas has the depth — especially with a guy like Howden, whose two-way game has soared this season — to pull this off, it won’t be set in stone considering Edmonton could change up its gameplan.
Special (P)K
In 2023, the Oilers had the best power play of all time. Their numbers slipped a bit this season (23.7 percent, good for 12th overall), but the Oilers had the second-best power play in the first round, converting on five of 13 opportunities (38.5 percent) against Los Angeles.
The Golden Knights’ penalty kill was a relative weakness during the regular season, operating at just 78.2 percent, which ranked 16th in the NHL. Vegas also had a middling penalty kill in the first round, ranking eighth among 16 teams with an efficiency rate of 76.9 percent. On 13 tries, Minnesota scored three times, while Vegas added two shorthanded tallies. But the Wild’s power play wasn’t necessarily sharp or rehearsed, something the Oilers will not have to worry about. Edmonton’s man-advantage has too many moving parts and way too much talent to struggle, making discipline a key element in the series (as it was in 2023). It wasn’t until the Golden Knights figured out how to slow down the Oilers’ power play that they were able to pull away in that series.
But Vegas needs to continue to capitalize on its power play, as it did all throughout the regular season. The Golden Knights clicked at 27.8 percent in the first round, scoring five times on 18 attempts. But there were moments, periods and games in which Vegas failed to find a timely power-play goal, which could have been a monumental game-changing and momentum-shifting factor. Edmonton possesses too much offensive firepower to waste opportunities; finishing will be pivotal for Vegas.
Pick your spot
The Golden Knights likely will go up against Pickard in Game 1, and he remain the starter throughout the series. Though Pickard played well against Vegas in the regular season and did enough to help his teammates win four straight in round one, he is not a proven, battle-tested and rock-solid commodity in net, and the Golden Knights need to act accordingly. The Golden Knights need to test him early and often , especially at home. When Marc-Andre Fleury stepped in for Filip Gustavsson in Game 5 in the first round, the Golden Knights were unable to pepper him with shots. In fact, they had just three in the entire third period. The Oilers are a different team than the Wild, and they got a lot more rubber to the net in both the regular season and in the playoffs. The Golden Knights will need to match that, and testing Pickard will be crucial. The Golden Knights have to break through and cannot allow Pickard to build confidence and settle in to the series.
How to watch
Game 1: Golden Knights vs. Oilers
When: 6:30 p.m. PT
Where: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas, NV
TV: ESPN
Radio: Fox Sports 98.9 FM
Round two schedule
Game 2: Thursday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m. PT (ESPN)
Game 3: Saturday, May 10 at 6:00 p.m. PT (TNT, truTV, MAX)
Game 4: Monday, May 12 at 6:30 p.m. PT (TNT, truTV, MAX)
Game 5: Wednesday, May 14 – TBD (if necessary)
Game 6: Friday, May 16 – TBD (if necessary)
Game 7: Sunday, May 18 – TBD (if necessary)