It’s been a long two years since facing the Golden Knights in the second round. Vegas went on to win the cup after beating Edmonton in 2023, and the Oilers have surely wanted some revenge ever since. Now they’re one step closer to getting it.

The game started off on a low note with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins taking a four minute double minor off a high stick. Shortly into the first penalty William Karlsson took a shot from the blueline which got redirected by Mark Stone’s skate to make the game 1-0. Edmonton managed to kill the remaining two minutes with out too much trouble.

Mark Stone wasted no time extending the lead to two after Draisaitl flubbed a pass into McDavid’s skate – the resulting turnover created an odd man rush the other way and Edmonton was unable to defend in the scramble with their two best players behind the play.

However, the pair would make up for the mistake. With three minutes left in the first period, Draisaitl entered the zone and found Connor McDavid who passed the puck to a wide open Corey Perry; Perry opted not to shoot immediately – instead skating around Adin Hill to flick the puck past his left pad and cut the Golden Knights’ lead in half.

Both teams were sloppy to start the second period. Passes were missing their intended targets, turnovers happened more often than not, and players were falling down in both ends. Eventually Edmonton would draw their first penalty of the series, but they would be unable to convert. Despite the score remaining 2-1 throughtout the second, Edmonton was clearly dominant – outshooting the Knights 12-1. A strong Vegas defence and some timely saves from Hill kept the Oilers at bay.

Leon Draisaitl found the equalizer early in the third from behind the net with a backhand bank shot off of Vegas’ own goalie. It really felt like Edmonton was owed this goal after all the work they had put in throughout the second period.

The Knights were gifted a penalty after a Vegas defenceman pushed Connor Brown into their own goalie. It was a bad call that had no place being whistled in a tie game; thankfully Edmonton would kill the penalty.

Edmonton carried momentum out of the penalty kill, hemming the Knights in their own zone, and quickly breaking up any Vegas attempts at generating offence. The growing tidal wave culminated in Zach Hyman firing a lightning fast wrister past Aidin Hill’s glove for the go ahead goal with only three minutes left to play. Not 90 seconds later Connor Brown beat Hill cleanly off a breakaway, and shredded any hope that Vegas would find a way back into this bout.

After giving up two early goals (noticing a pattern here this playoffs) Edmonton dominated for fifty minutes. They ran four lines that all contributed to generating an offence that the Golden Knights couldn’t fend off. The Oilers key to success for the night was their ability to get the puck out of their own zone with their passing game. During the LA series, the Kings’ speed often meant the Oilers were forced to skate out of their own end with possession – but that wasn’t the case tonight. Edmonton routinely cleared the puck out and found a way to generate plays in the neutral zone, or in Vegas’ own end.

On an unrelated note, the ice quality was absolute garbage tonight. Players were falling over left and right – it’s surprising that no goals came out of someone blowing a tire. If you had told me that they blended the ice in a slurpee machine prior to hosting tonight’s game I would have believed you.

The Oilers will have a chance to completely rip home ice advantage away from the Golden Knights on Thursday night; and hopefully on better ice.