FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Oilers - Game 2 - 2023

FSM Essential Recap: Golden Knights vs Oilers – Game 2 – 2023

Franchise Sports Media

Vegas Golden Knights (5-2) vs Edmonton Oilers (5-4)

 

The Edmonton Oilers cruise past the Vegas Golden Knights 5-1. The series is now tied in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It is game 2 of the Golden Knights vs Oilers series. 

The Edmonton Oilers went into Game Two with a sense of urgency, and it paid off in a great way with a 5-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. 

The Oilers’ Connor McDavid and Leon Driasaitl each scored two goals that helped the Oilers tie the series 1-1 in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“I liked our start. I thought we did some things that we wanted to do, we asserted ourselves right off the bat and played the game at the pace that we wanted to play,” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said after the game. “Part of that was how we managed pucks, and part of it was the way the game played itself out.”

The scheduling change that resulted in Game Two being moved from Friday to Saturday did not faze the Edmonton Oilers at all.

“Whether we’re home, away, or in Hudson Bay, it doesn’t matter to us where we play – we are one of the top road teams in the National Hockey League,” Woodcroft said before the game.

The tempo of the Game Two was completely different from Game One, This time, the Edmonton Oilers controlled the game and dictated the pace..

“We played a lot faster, I thought we were more connected, I thought we were a little bit more aggressive, you know, all the things that we’ve been building towards,” said McDavid, who is on a seven-game point streak, with five goals and ten assists.

“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.”

The rush from the Oilers proved to be too much for Vegas. Ivan Barbashev scored the only goal for the Golden Knights, and goaltender Laurent Brossoit made 27 saves before being replaced by backup Adin Hill at the start of the third period.

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

In the first period, the Edmonton Oilers scored four unanswered goals for a 4-0 lead. 

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

The scoring onslaught was a result of Leon Draisailt scoring twice, Connor McDavid scoring in the first period, and a power-play goal from Evan Bouchard, which propelled them to a 4-0 goal lead.

“It’s big (to win the special teams battle),” Draisaitl said. “It’s really good in the playoffs. Special teams can win you games. Obviously, we rely on that partly, but we’re also working for our power-play opportunities, right? We’re a hard team to defend. When we do get the chance, we try to capitalize.”

The first-period start for the Golden Knights was not something Vegas expected.

“They were way better than us in the first period,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You watch the game, they were better than us early on. They separated from us quickly in the first period by converting on those power-play opportunities. … Credit them. They were better than us, hungrier than us. They converted better. That’s it.”

In the second period, the score differential got bigger as Connor McDavid scored his second goal of the night, capitalizing on a power play goal to extend the lead 5-0.

The Oilers are 14-for-25 on the power play in the playoffs after setting an NHL record on the man advantage during the regular season (32.4 percent).

“It’s a big part of our team identity,” Woodcroft said. “When teams are undisciplined and run around, it’s one of the ways we can make them pay.”

With the series now tied 1-1, the Vegas Golden Knights look to rebound from their loss, as the series now heads to Edmonton for Game Three on Monday.

“Not a great night for us, right?” Stone said. “But the series is 1-1. I don’t think anyone in this locker room thought we were going to sweep the Edmonton Oilers. So it’s a 1-1 series. We’ll regroup, come back ready to go on Monday night.”

The final score in game 2 of the Golden Knights vs Oilers series was 5-1, Edmonton.

 On Monday, the Golden Knights will play the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. The puck drop is at 5:30 PM. The game can be seen on AT&T SportsNet (channel 313 on Cox Cable) or ESPN (channel 30 on Cox Cable) and or heard on 98.9 FM, FOX Sports Las Vegas 1340 AM.