The Vegas Golden Knights are not yet in must-win territory, but they can ill afford another loss when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Saturday.
The Golden Knights are down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, having dropped both games at home to start the set.
“Take the good, look at the bad, and be ready,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said of his team’s situation. “We’ve got to win a game on Saturday night.”
Teams that win the first two games of a best-of-seven series when starting on the road own an all-time series record of 88-22 (.800) in Stanley Cup playoffs. The Golden Knights, who won the Pacific Division in the regular season, have a big trend to buck after dropping a back-and-forth 5-4 overtime clash on Thursday.
Edmonton erased a deficit in an NHL-record sixth consecutive victory — despite staking itself a 4-2 lead early in the third period, watching it dissolve and recovering with Leon Draisaitl’s overtime winner.
“We were much better than in Game 1 and we’re going to have to be better if we expect to win this series. Keep progressing in that direction,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said on Friday. “When you go through a series, that pendulum can swing if you stay with it. That’s the message.”
There was no update on the status of defenseman Brayden McNabb, who left the game in overtime after being tripped by Edmonton’s Viktor Arvidsson and sent crashing into the boards.
Vegas forward Nicolas Roy was spared a suspension after a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety over his cross-check to the face of Trent Frederic. Roy attempted to play the puck while it was airborne but made contact with Frederic’s head instead, resulting in a laceration for the Oilers forward.
Roy received a major penalty and game misconduct for the play in overtime. After his hearing Friday, he was fined $7,812.50 but not suspended.
The Oilers are in the driver’s seat to reach the conference final for the second consecutive year and third time in four seasons.
However, they know how quickly a series can change. After all, they lost the first two games of their opening-round meeting with the Los Angeles Kings before rattling off four consecutive wins.
Edmonton already feels fortunate to have claimed Thursday’s clash.
“Not pretty at all,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. He added: “Not our group’s best, but we found a way.”
In Edmonton’s favor has been the team’s depth. Unlike past playoff runs, including last year’s trip to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers are receiving offensive production throughout the lineup.
Sure, the overtime winner was by Draisaitl and set up by McDavid — a classic example of what Edmonton’s dynamic duo can achieve when a game is on the line — but the supporting cast has been a big part for a team that won by superior five-on-five play in the first two games of this series.
“The fact we lost the special teams battle in both games and came out with both wins, that’s something I wouldn’t have expected,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said on Friday.
Now to see whether the Oilers can gain a stranglehold on the series.
“We’re just building and building our game,” McDavid said. “I feel like our best is still coming, and I’d hope to see it at home here. … It means nothing if we’re not ready to roll for Game 3.”
–Field Level Media
