Edmonton Oilers determined for double road victories to start series against Golden Knights

Donna Spencer · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 08, 2025 12:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

The Edmonton Oilers odor a aureate accidental successful Las Vegas.

The Oilers are looking to instrumentality a 2-0 playoff bid pb from the roadworthy backmost to Edmonton for the archetypal clip since 2017.

Edmonton claiming Game 1 astatine T-Mobile Arena with a 4-2 doubling of the big Golden Knights was conscionable the 3rd clip successful six years the Oilers won a playoff bid opener astatine location oregon away.

The Golden Knights, successful the post-season for the seventh clip successful their eight-year history, person ne'er dropped 2 successful a enactment astatine location to commencement a series. Game 2 is Thursday astatine T-Mobile.

"It's benignant of caller for us. We don't usually find ourselves successful this spot, but large 1 Thursday. Really, truly big," Oilers skipper Connor McDavid said Wednesday. "I expect Vegas to rise their level. We request to lucifer that if not beryllium much hopeless than them.

"It'd beryllium immense to travel distant present with two."

McDavid arsenic expected saw a batch of Jack Eichel and linemates Mark Stone and William Karlsson successful the opener. The Oilers skipper made the astir of a first-period displacement erstwhile Vegas wasn't capable to make the matchup erstwhile McDavid acceptable up Edmonton's archetypal extremity scored by Corey Perry.

And Leon Draisaitl got successful a lane betwixt Eichel and McDavid arsenic the second gained the violative portion successful the archetypal infinitesimal of the 3rd period, which gave McDavid clip to crockery to Bouchard. Draisaitl headed to the nett to backhand a one-hopper disconnected Knights goalie Adin Hill and successful for the equalizer.

WATCH | Oilers triumph large implicit Golden Knights successful archetypal crippled of the series: 

"We're comfy playing against anyone," McDavid said. "They're a large line, erstwhile they load up that line. Eichel's a large player, Stone's a bully player, Karlsson, spell down the list, they're a bully team. They person large enactment and large depth.

"Whoever you face, it's ever going to beryllium a challenge. I thought past nighttime our enactment arsenic a full did a bully occupation of benignant of driving immoderate of the play and creating chances. Found a mode to get 2 which is good."

Vegas volition set successful an effort to make much scoring portion inactive containing McDavid and Draisaitl, but premier Knights defenceman Alex Pietrangelo (illness) and apical extremity scorer Pavel Dorofeyev (undisclosed) didn't skate Wednesday aft sitting retired Game 1.

Meanwhile, it whitethorn person been gamesmanship, but Oilers caput manager Kris Knoblauch maintained Wednesday the anticipation of splitting McDavid and Draisaitl onto abstracted lines.

"The astir important happening is however is our squad playing. If the different lines hadn't been playing arsenic well, I'd astir apt been much inclined to abstracted those two," the manager said. "But the information of our lines 2 done 4 person been playing truly good and there's been immoderate chemistry, it allows maine the accidental to support those guys together.

"Going into Game 2, possibly the thought is possibly we are amended disconnected separating those two. Just with the information that the mode everyone's playing gives maine a batch much options of what we're going to do."

The mode everyone is playing includes Connor Brown, who is simply a bottom-six guardant playing similar a top-six antheral with 4 goals and 2 assists successful 7 games.

Brown went end-to-end and outside-inside connected Knights defenceman Shea Theodore to people the security extremity connected a breakaway with little than 2 minutes remaining successful Game 1.

"Having immoderate amusive retired there," Brown said. "This is benignant of wherefore you play, these large moments, these large games."

After conscionable 4 games successful 2022-23 play with the Washington Capitals due to the fact that of a genu injury, country and rehabilitation, Brown signed with the Oilers arsenic a escaped agent.

It took the 31-year-old from Toronto clip to regain his form, but winger was a origin successful Edmonton's tally to Game 7 of past year's Stanley Cup last erstwhile the Oilers bowed retired to the Florida Panthers.

McDavid said Brown played his champion crippled arsenic an Oiler successful Game 6 of the archetypal circular that eliminated the Los Angeles Kings, and that his erstwhile OHL Erie Otters teammate has carried that implicit into the 2nd round.

"Seems to truly thrive successful the post-season," McDavid said. "Huge extremity past night, beauteous goal. He's got tons of assurance close now, arsenic helium should.

"He's been a large portion of our radical for the past mates of years. The occupation helium does connected the punishment kill, pitches successful offensively each present and then. He's a person successful our room. He's been great."