LAS VEGAS — Look out Edmonton, the Vegas Golden Knights say there’s no doubt who their arch-rival is as they prepare to drop the puck on their eighth season in the NHL.
In an anonymous poll conducted Monday after practice, 86.7% of the team say the Oilers are the first team that comes to mind when asked: “Who is Vegas’ chief arch-rival?”
What was once San Jose, there’s “No doubt, it’s the Oilers,” said one veteran skater who helped the Golden Knights eliminate Edmonton en route to their Stanley Cup title two summers ago.
Of the 15 players polled, 13 said Edmonton, one vote came in for former Vegas coach Peter DeBoer and the Dallas Stars, while the final vote was on the Florida Panthers, who the Golden Knights beat in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.
The lone Golden Knight who voted for the Stars said, “I was going to say the Oilers but I really hate Dallas.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was on hand for Wednesday’s season opener and talked about Vegas’ rivalries before the game.
“Well, Dallas, I think, is also a factor as well,” Bettman said, after being told a majority of the Knights identified Edmonton. “They generally develop in playoff rounds, which is why I think our playoff structure and the way we seed through our regular season works very well for us. … And when we see rivalries develop, it’s a lot of fun.”
Bettman said the documentary currently running on Prime – “Faceoff” – could help bolster any established rivalries, including the Knights and Oilers, as the show features Vegas’ Jack Eichel and a few Edmonton players, giving fans insight in ways the players have never been shown before.
Since the Golden Knights entered the league in 2017, they’ve played the Oilers 28 times in both the regular season and playoffs. Vegas has lost 15 of the 28 meetings, going 13-12-3.
The six-game series in the 2023 playoffs intensified when Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was given a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct after an aggressive slash on Oilers star forward Leon Draisaitl in Game 4, and was suspended for Game 5.
After the Knights were taken out by Dallas in the first round of last year’s playoffs, the Stars were eventually eliminated by the Oilers in the Western Conference Final. Edmonton then lost to Florida in last season’s Stanley Cup Final.
The Golden Knights meet the Oilers four times this season, the first time in Edmonton on Nov. 6. The Oilers will visit Vegas on Dec. 3, with the teams returning to play in Edmonton less than two weeks later on Dec. 14. Their final meeting will be April 1 in Las Vegas.
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