In the McDavid and Draisaitl era, the Oilers have now lost the first game of a series 8/9 times. The one time they did win Game 1, they lost that series (2017 vs ANA).
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GDB +7.0 Wrap Up: Four goals from Leon Draisaitl wasn’t enough as Golden Knights take Game 1
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2023, 01:02 EDT
Yet again, the Edmonton Oilers find themselves down after the first game of a playoff series.
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Edmonton got out to a quick 1-0 lead thanks to a power-play goal from Leon Draisaitl but it was all Vegas after that as the Oilers struggled with the change of pace that the Golden Knights brought compared to the L.A. Kings in the first round.
The Golden Knights went up 3-1 in the first frame and it took the Oilers until the third period to knot the game at 3-3. Just moments after Draisaitl’s game-tying goal, Vegas scored twice more to restore their two-goal lead. Draisaitl added another to bring the Oilers to within one but the Golden Knights slammed the door and Jack Eichel scored into the empty net.
PRESENTED BY BETWAY
Oilersnation’s player of the game: Leon Draisaitl
This was a no-brainer.
The German scored all four of Edmonton’s goals on the night, two on the power play and two at even strength. The first goal came from the patented one-timer, which you can see below.
leon draisaitl opens the scoring in game one.
The second goal was from behind the net, as he banked the puck in off former Oilers goaltender Laurent Brossoit.
leon draisaitl banks one in off laurent brossoit and cuts vegas' lead to one ahead of the first intermission.
Draisaitl’s third goal came after a rebound bounced to him on the doorstep, leading to the easy tap-in.
leon draisaitl's second career playoff hat trick ties game one at 3 early in the third.
His fourth goal came on the rush, beating the goaltender’s far side to give the Oilers life with over 11 minutes remaining in the third period.
leon draisaitl scores his fourth (!) goal of the game making it 5-4.
Draisaitl was already tied for the lead in playoff goals with seven heading into the game. Now, it sits at 11, and he is the first player to have 10 goals in seven or fewer playoff games since 1981.
Things worth mentioning…
Connor McDavid may have had two assists on the night, but it seemed like every zone entry resulted in a turnover. It’s hard to be critical of the greatest player of all time, but he needs to be better moving forward in this series.
Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, and Zach Hyman all had two assists. Every other Oiler was held off the score sheet on Wednesday evening. Not what you want to see.
Stuart Skinner had a bad game in terms of save percentage, as he saved 28 shots of the 33 he faced for a .848 save percentage, but he made some key stops in the second period to keep the game at 3-2. He does need to pick it up though.
what a flash of the leather from stuart skinner here.
Vincent Desharnais made another mistake which led to an opposing team’s goal. He’s made several of these mistakes in these playoffs, and it may be time to limit his minutes in favour of Philip Broberg.
vincent desharnais turns the puck over, and ivan barbashev capitalizes. 1-1.
Mattias Janmark left the game after stumbling and hitting his head on the boards. If you recall, he was injured in the first game of the Los Angeles series, and missed the rest of it. Let’s hope it’s nothing serious, as Janmark has plenty of playoff experience and plays the game with a certain energy not many on the team can replicate.
scary scene in vegas as mattias janmark is shaken up. he caught an edge and went backwards into the boards.
Game 2 of the series is on Saturday evening at 5:00 PM MT. The Oilers will look to even up the series before heading back home.
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