Edmonton Oilers aim to finish off Vegas Golden Knights after shutout victory in Game 4

Donna Spencer · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 13, 2025 4:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

If the Edmonton Oilers replicate their astir implicit playoff crippled this season, their manager says they'll beryllium hard to beat.

The Oilers purpose to adjacent retired their second-round bid against the Vegas Golden Knights connected Wednesday astatine T-Mobile Arena, wherever Edmonton won 2 roadworthy games to footwear disconnected the best-of-seven set.

The Oilers tin beforehand to the NHL's Western Conference last for a 2nd consecutive year. Edmonton reached Game 7 of past year's Stanley Cup last earlier falling 2-1 to the Florida Panthers.

After giving up a last-second extremity to autumn 4-3 to the Golden Knights successful Game 3 astatine home, the Oilers were the superior squad successful astir facets of the crippled successful a 3-0 shutout to instrumentality a 3-1 pb successful the series.

Edmonton played arguably its astir implicit crippled successful 10 playoff contests for its archetypal shutout.

The Oilers scored archetypal for conscionable the 3rd clip and protected that pb for the archetypal time.

Edmonton played its afloat bench, threw antithetic enactment combos astatine the Golden Knights, won the peculiar teams battle, got extent scoring, stayed retired of the punishment container implicit the past 40 minutes and was combative astir the Vegas nett to nutrient the archetypal 2 goals scored by third-line centre Adam Henrique.

"When they play similar that, a batch of the time, astir of the time, we'll win," Edmonton's caput manager Kris Knoblauch said.

"Things tin ever change. You don't cognize however the goalies are going to play oregon the luck, the breaks, the refereeing, the officiating, immoderate it is, but if we tin play similar that connected a regular basis, astir nights we're going to win."

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The Oilers are 16-1 (.941) all-time erstwhile starring a bid 3-1, and 12-5 (.706) astatine 2-2.

"There's a batch of benefits of winning that adjacent game," Knoblauch said. "You don't springiness that accidental for Vegas to enactment unneurotic a drawstring of wins.

"And past besides the quality conscionable to person immoderate downtime. Guys tin remainder and not adhd connected the bumps and bruises done the playoff play arsenic it goes."

Game 4 is often the plaything crippled successful a series, and the Oilers maintained their precocious manus by winning it.

"We got a occupation to do. It's not done, but decidedly a amended presumption than it could person been," Oilers defenceman Jake Walman said.

The Golden Knights, who person reached the post-season for a seventh clip successful the team's eight-year history, are 2-7 (.222) all-time erstwhile trailing 3-1.

"We person to commencement better," Golden Knights caput manager Bruce Cassidy said. "I don't deliberation determination was capable players connected their toes acceptable to go.

"That'll beryllium measurement 1 successful Game 5. Push the envelope and get to our crippled quicker."

Oilers skipper Connor McDavid's assistance connected his team's 3rd extremity scored by Evander Kane stretched his points and assists streak to 8 consecutive games.

While McDavid and Leon Draisaitl person driven Edmonton's post-season offence with a combined 8 goals and 24 assists, the Oilers level up erstwhile others contribute.

Minus the dynamic duo's extremity production, the Oilers person outscored the absorption 29-22 even-strength this post-season.

"It's important conscionable being capable to usage everybody successful each situations," Knoblauch said.

"For a player, it's easier to get progressive successful the play oregon crippled and conscionable proceed connected that alternatively than 'am I going now? Am I sitting here? Is determination a agelong long that I'm not playing?"'

Knoblauch deployed McDavid and apical extremity scorer Draisaitl connected antithetic lines Monday, but reunited them connected a brace of power-play chances.

While Edmonton didn't person either to a goal, the punishment termination held the Golden Knights to thing connected 3 tries successful the archetypal period.

"Being capable to person those kills with a pb conscionable says, each right, our game's well-rounded close now," Knoblauch said.

Knoblauch threw the trio of Draisaitl, Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin astatine the Golden Knights apical combo of Jack Eichel, Michael Stone and Ivan Barbashev.

"Leon's a precise arrogant guy. He wants to beryllium the champion feline connected the ice, and if he's got a matchup, not excessively often Rocket Richard trophy winners, Hart Trophy winners instrumentality a situation of a shutdown role," Knoblauch said. "He bought into that."

Knoblauch said Tuesday that apical defenceman Mattias Ekholm, who has yet to look successful the playoffs owed to injury, has begun airy skating.

The manager hoped Ekholm could play successful the league last if the Oilers advance.