FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Oilers - Game 1 - 2023

FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Oilers – Game 1 – 2023

Franchise Sports Media

Vegas Golden Knights (5-1) vs Edmonton Oilers (4-4)

 

The Golden Knights hold off the Edmonton Oilers 6-4 to take Game 1 in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It is game 1 of the Golden Knights vs Oilers series. 

The stage was finally set for the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Sin City between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers at T-Mobile Arena. That stage did not disappoint as Vegas took the series’ first game, winning 6-4.

Despite a great effort from the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl, who scored four goals, the Golden Knights still prevailed with a team effort led by Ivan Barbashev, who scored two goals.

The Golden Knights also received goals from Chandler Stephenson, Michael Amadio, Mark Stone, and Jack Eichel. Eichel’s goal was an empty netter from deep in his zone. He and Stone also each had an assist. Zach Whitecloud had two assists of his own.

The loss for the Edmonton Oilers was their first regulation loss since March 11th. Down 0-1 in the series, the Oilers look ahead to even it in game two on Friday.

“Overall, we weren’t good enough,” Draisaitl said. “It’s not even close to how we play. We’ve got to move on, and we’ll be better.”

Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Zach Lyman, and Connor McDavid each had two assists for the Oilers. The Oilers’ speed on offense had Vegas on the ropes throughout the game. But it was a well-rounded effort from Vegas to seize the momentum, especially with the help of Vegas goaltender Laurent Brossoit who finished the game with 23 saves.

“We were terrific,” Brossoit said. “Another collective effort from all of us, right up and down the lineup. We had a lot of big nights from a lot of guys. … We took it to them for 60 minutes. I even think the score wasn’t necessarily indicative of how well we played.”

Leon Draisaitl’s four-goal night extended his goal-point streak to four games. He currently has 11 goals in this postseason. Even Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy was impressed by the accomplishment.

“Does that sound funny to you, 11 goals in the second round,” Cassidy said. “That is unbelievable.”

End of the first period in the Golden Knights vs Oilers series

In the first period, both teams traded blows with a goal, first from the Oilers on a power play goal, then a minute later, Vegas answered back to tie the game 1-1. 

The start of periods 2 and 3 in the Golden Knights vs Oilers series.

After the first goal, Vegas did not look back. The Golden Knights soon controlled the tempo scoring two more goals in the first period.

Michael Amadio gave the Golden Knights the lead after firing a shot past Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner for a 2-1 score. Mark Stone would score a power-play goal with two minutes left in the first period to extend the lead to 3-1.

But with just 11 seconds left in the first, Draisaitl cut the lead to 3-2 after he flipped a shot in off the back of Brossoit from below the goal line.

“There are special players who do special things,” Cassidy said. “A lot of people are trying that shot now. I think they practice it from behind the goal line and right at the goal line. Maybe five years ago, it’s a bad goal, and on the goalie, but now it happens a lot. … It’s not a good goal, but it’s not an egregious one. That’s a special talent.”

The second period became a game, as the Oilers tied it with a power play goal in the opening minutes of the second for a 3-3 score. But Vegas answered back with two more goals, from Stephenson and Barbashev, for a 5-3 lead. However, the game was not over yet in the eyes of the Edmonton Oilers.

“You like to think that you’re comfortable (with a two-goal lead), but you’re playing against Edmonton,” Stephenson said. “Really, no lead is safe.”

Draisailtl scored his fourth goal of the night after scoring on a power play cut the lead to 5-4, the Oilers were determined to tie the game again, but Edmonton got called for too many men on the ice while trying to pull Skinner from the net. The call resulted in an empty goal for Jack Eichel for a 6-4 final.

“We used our six [defensemen]; we used our four lines. We didn’t have to get too far from our line combinations,” Cassidy said. “We were good.”

The final score in game 1 of the Golden Knights vs Oilers series was 6-4, Vegas.

 On Saturday, the Golden Knights will play the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. The puck drop is at 4:00 PM. The game can be seen on AT&T SportsNet (channel 313 on Cox Cable) or TNT (channel 18 on Cox Cable) and or heard on 98.9 FM, FOX Sports Las Vegas 1340 AM.