In Edmonton, Nicolas Roy scored midway through extra time on Saturday to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 4-3 win over the Oilers.
Vegas had kept enough pressure on the Oilers that they were unable to change lines ni the extra session, leading to the goal.
“I thought we kept them to the outside until that last play that they scored on,” the Oilers’ Mattias Ekholm said. “Obviously, that is what we are tying to do in overtime, is to keep them out there and keep our guys fresh and get some changes on them, but obviously they managed to do it with us that time.”
Laurent Brossoit made 27 saves in the Vegas win.
“It’s a big win, a big (three-game) road trip,” Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “[The Oilers] were sneaking up on us (in the standings), and we were able to get an extra point out of this game. We have that next-man up mentality, it’s been that way all year. We’ve had injuries throughout the year, the guys are prepared, we have great depth, we have great goaltending, and it showed tonight.”
The Golden Knights improved to 46-21-6 off their fourth straight win, and moved four points clear atop the Pacific Division.
Jack Eichel scored in the first period to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
“Gusty win for us. It’s a divisional game, and I thought we played well,” Eichel said. “It’s a really good team over there, they generate a lot of offense, and I thought we did a really good job limiting them. [Laurent Brossoit] played great, and we were able to capitalize on one of our power plays. Got some timely goals and got a big win.”
Zach Hyman tied it, 1-1, to set the theme for the game with the Oilers chasing the Golden Knights throughout the game.
“We couldn’t find a lead in the game, and I think they’re a team that plays a very comfortable style on the road, especially when they have the lead,” Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said. “In the end, we fought back to get it into overtime, and they made a play in overtime and we didn’t convert in overtime, and they found the extra point.”
Edmonton dropped to 41-23-9, their lead over the Seattle Kraken dwindled to three points after the Kraken beat the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
Vegas reclaimed the lead late in the first on a strike by Pavel Dorofeyev, for a 2-1 scored headed to the middle frame.
In the second period, Leon Draisaitl scored off the power play to tie the 2-2.
“It was a tight game. It was what you expect in the playoffs,” Draisaitl said. “It is obviously a team that we could face. I think we know how to handle these types of games. Tonight didn’t go our way, but we will take the point.”
While the Oilers were chasing, the Golden Knights could not find that to-goal lead.
“We got better as the game went on, and that’s important,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We had a day off yesterday, so sometimes it takes a while to get your legs going. Later start, end of the road trip. We were able to get through certain parts of the game when we weren’t our best. What I loved about our team, what we talked about between periods, is that in the third, we were on top of pucks, we were keeping plays alive in the O-zone. I thought we were the better team in the third period.”
Jonathan Marchessault restored the lead in the seventh minute of the third period, 3-2, on a shot from the high slot.
Edmonton tied the game at 11:19 of the third, 3-3, on a marker from Warren Foegele.
Stuart Skinner made 30 saves in the Oilers loss.
You must be logged in to post a comment.