The one thing the Vegas Golden Knights can’t do against the Edmonton Oilers is take their foot off the gas and give them any signs of life, and in Game 1 of the second round, they did exactly that.
The Golden Knights took advantage of an early power play, taking a 1-0 lead. With momentum on their side, the Golden Knights stayed aggressive, forcing turnovers and counterattacking, which led to Mark Stone scoring his second goal of the game. Corey Perry answered with a goal late in the first period, and following the goal, it was all Oilers.
The Oilers outshot the Golden Knights 12-1 in the middle frame, but Adin Hill preserved the lead. A fortunate bounce for Leon Draisaitl tied the game at 2-2 in the third period, and after tying the game, it always looked like the Oilers would break the deadlock. The Golden Knights struggled to neutralize the Oilers’ pressure and couldn’t generate any chances for themselves.
Zach Hyman scored the game-winning goal, and Connor Brown beat Shea Theodore and Hill in one-on-ones to provide the insurance marker.
If the Golden Knights were to learn one thing from the Oilers’ first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, it would be to play a full 60 minutes and never sit back on a lead. Connor McDavid took advantage of the space the Golden Knights were providing him, and he generated a plethora of chances. Giving a player of McDavid’s calibre that many free looks is always going to be trouble.
“They elevated their game today, and I don’t think we did halfway through the game, I think it’s that simple. They’re just better than us,” said Golden Knights’ HC Bruce Cassidy.
“Because we got out of the second. They probably felt pretty good about it, they’re like, ‘Hey, we’re right there.’ Then they get a lucky one to start, so now they’re really on. We needed to build our game from there better.”
According to Natural Stat Trick and the eye test, the Oilers dominated. They held 73.45% of the expected goals, generated 13 high-danger chances, giving up only three and outshot the Golden Knights 28-17.
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