Game Preview: Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers
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Golden Knights (34-22-8) vs Oilers (33-22-8)
The red hot Vegas Golden Knights are set to return home to take on the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena in a battle of #1 vs #3 in the Pacific Division.
The Golden Knights are currently riding a 6-game winning streak after beating the Anaheim Ducks on the road in overtime Sunday and have taken hold of first place in the division. This is due in part to a surge in goal scoring by the Knights in February. The Golden Knights have scored 5 or more goals in 6 of their last 9 games and have come out victorious in 4 of those games. The trio of goal scorers, Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, and Reilly Smith have become pillars in the Golden Knights’ offense in the second half of the season and have shared the workload in the team’s resurgence since Head Coach Peter DeBoer’s arrival in mid-January.
For their part, the Edmonton Oilers present a fierce challenge for the Knights tonight. In their first of 4 meetings last November, the Oilers defeated the Golden Knights 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena. The win for the Oilers was capped by two goals from Connor McDavid and three assists from Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl and McDavid are two of the league’s top-three leading point scorers with 99 and 87 points, respectively.
The Oilers are also the league’s best at scoring on power plays with 54 goals in favor and have a league-best 29% efficiency rate on power-play scoring. Furthermore, Edmonton is also the league’s second-best team at killing penalties, with an 84% prevention rate on their opponents’ power-play opportunities.
The Golden Knights, on the other hand, have a pedestrian 38 goals scored during power plays this season and are one of the league’s worst teams at creating power play opportunities per game. Safe to say, if the Golden Knights want to keep their current winning streak alive, they will want to stay out of the penalty box and take better advantage of their opportunities against one of the league’s best teams at defending the power plays.
As the regular season draws to a close, the Golden Knights with their new identity have placed themselves in prime position for a shot at the Stanley Cup. With only 18 games left in the regular season and the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the Golden Knights have turned their focus onto the playoff picture and picked up some weapons to secure a long postseason run. Last week, Las Vegas traded for Alec Martinez from the Los Angeles Kings to fortify the backline.
Martinez scored a goal and two assists in his Vegas debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning last Thursday and scored Sunday again against Anaheim with an additional assist. At the trade deadline Tuesday, the Golden Knights acquired goaltender Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks. They also added forward Nick Cousins from the Montreal Canadiens and free-agent defender Nick Holden to strengthen the front and back lines.
The sportsbooks in Las Vegas appeared to love the Golden Knights’ moves at the trade deadline, as the Vegas team became the co-favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year along with the Tampa Bay Lightning, each with 5/1 odds, according to the Westgate Las Vegas. The Golden Knights are also the favorites to win the Western Conference at 9/4 odds.
The home stretch for the Golden Knights’ regular season begins tonight at 7:30 PDT at T-Mobile Arena as the home team takes on a hungry Edmonton Oilers team looking to take control of the Pacific Division.
Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers
Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers Golden Knights vs Edmonton Oilers
Las Vegas! If you want another great place to watch the fights, head to Al’s Garage in Summerlin. There are multiple televisions to watch all the games. Al’s has “Happy Hour” starting at 9 AM and ending at 9 PM. Al’s Garage is located at 11760 W. Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89135. Tell them, “The Franchise sent you!!”
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