<p>The core group of the Edmonton Oilers have held a 2-0 series lead once in their 13 playoff series since 2017. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-golden-knights-game-2-information-line-combinations-starting-goaltenders">On Thursday night</a>, they have an opportunity to make it two after defeating Vegas 4-2 in the opening game of the series.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Connor McDavid joked they don’t know what to do in this situation, because they rarely win the opening game of a series. They improved to 4-10 in Game 1s with the win, and the only time they swept the first two games was their 2017 second round series vs. Anaheim. They won both games on the road but ended up losing in seven games. That was the first playoff experience for McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse.</p>
<p>If they manage to win tonight, I’d be very surprised to see them lose the series. They are more experienced, but this team is also deeper and more skilled than the 2017 team. This group also knows tonight won’t be easy.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;It is a big game. Really big,” said McDavid. “It would be huge to come away from here with two (wins). I expect their level of play to go up, but I expect ours will as well.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>The Oilers have gotten better each game they play this postseason. It would have been difficult to be worse than their first two games v. LA., but for long stretches in their past four games, they’ve completely dominated their opponents.</p>
<p>In the third period and overtime of Game 4, LA barely touched the puck. Game 5 was the most complete game I’ve seen this group play. They controlled the game from start to finish, and two nights ago in Vegas, Edmonton dominated the final 50 minutes. Vegas had three 5&#215;5 shots in the final 40 minutes.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Our game is building,” said McDavid. “I know that is what you say in the middle of the playoffs, but when you don&#8217;t have a ton of runway with the group (due to injuries) coming down the stretch, it took us some time to get going. We are putting the pieces together as we go, and we are getting better and better each game.”</p></blockquote>
<p>The stats and the eye test back McDavid’s assertion they are getting better. That doesn’t mean the improvement is consistently up hill. Their defensive play in the series clincher v. LA wasn’t what they’d like, but they found a way to win, and then quickly got back on track to start this series.</p>
<p>The Oilers rarely make things easy for themselves. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins took a double-minor only 93 seconds into the game. Vegas got a lucky, double deflection goal off the skate of Mark Stone 40 seconds into the man advantage, and Stone scored again at the 9:03 mark. But after that, the Oilers took over. Vegas had six shots 5&#215;5 and a total of 11 shots in the final 50 minutes. None were rebounds. The closest time gap between shots was 29 seconds. Vegas had virtually no sustained pressure after leading 2-0.</p>
<p>Vegas believes they can play better, and they will, but considering the Oilers smothered LA in the final two periods of Game 4 and the entirety of Game 5 and for 50 minutes of Game 1 vs. Vegas, you can&#8217;t just say it was because the Kings and Golden Knights didn&#8217;t play well. The Oilers were the constant in those games, and they&#8217;ve shown they can be a very good defensive team, mainly by not spending much time in their own end. The Oilers’ blueliners, led by <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-john-klingberg-hips-people-taking-notice-a-lot-of-people-kind-of-wrote-him-off">John Klingberg</a> and Evan Bouchard, moved the puck quickly and efficiently Tuesday night.</p>
<p>The Oilers made long stretch passes to their forwards, often bypassing two or three Vegas forwards. Klingberg&#8217;s pass on Corey Perry&#8217;s goal was a great example of the blueliners’ excellent passing.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">COREY PERRY! </p>
<p>He cuts the Golden Knights&#39; lead in half and gives the Oilers life in Game 1 of this series.</p>
<p>📹: Sportsnet <a href="https://t.co/qnmRa152La">pic.twitter.com/qnmRa152La</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1919942050557907383?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Vegas had a hard time creating offensive zone time because the Oilers’ D corps moved the puck up quickly all night. I also think Vegas didn&#8217;t forecheck as hard as they usually do, and I wonder if we see a slightly different approach from them tonight. As McDavid said, they expect Vegas to play better.</p>
<p>But the Oilers can as well, mainly by not playing from behind. The good news is they&#8217;ve proven they can come from behind. They set an NHL playoff record by winning five-consecutive games where they overcame a deficit.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I think the group is just comfortable in those situations, we&#8217;ve been there plenty of times,&#8221; said McDavid on their ability to come back. &#8220;It is not necessarily the best position to put yourself in. We have to work on getting off to better starts and not put ourselves in that position, but we&#8217;ve shown we can come back and win and that is a great quality to have.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>The Oilers have only scored first once in their seven playoff games. That was in Game 3 v. LA, where they led 2-0, before allowing LA to gain a 3-2 lead, before the Oilers stormed back in the third period. They are 1-0 when scoring first, but they are an impressive 4-2 when allowing the first goal.</p>
<p>Vegas is 0-2 when allowing the first goal. They are now 4-1 when scoring first, and in only one of those wins did they come from behind. Unlike the Oilers they haven&#8217;t played from behind very often, but when Minnesota did score first, they crushed Vegas 5-2 both times. Outside of a third period comeback in Game 4, Vegas hasn&#8217;t showed the same ability as the Oilers to come back in games.</p>
<hr />
<figure id="attachment_174416" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-174416" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-174416" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/USATSI_26068777-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/USATSI_26068777-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/USATSI_26068777-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/USATSI_26068777-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/USATSI_26068777-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/USATSI_26068777-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-174416" class="wp-caption-text">May 1, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor Brown (28) celebrates after scoring a goal during the third period against the Los Angeles Kings in game six of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure>
<hr />
<h1>SNAPSHOTS&#8230;.</h1>
<p>&#8212; Connor Brown&#8217;s quickness has been on full display these playoffs. His insurance goal on Tuesday was a great example of how hard it is to defend speed in open ice. Brown blew by Shea Theodore, one of Canada&#8217;s best defensemen.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">CONNOR BROWN TAKE A BOW!</p>
<p>The Oilers now have a 4-2 lead with seconds remaining in Game 1.</p>
<p>📹: Sportsnet <a href="https://t.co/GZXPuOyKrA">pic.twitter.com/GZXPuOyKrA</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1919969178720641111?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8212; Brown was the right guy to ask about John Klingberg&#8217;s stellar play. He knows the challenges of trying to find your game after major surgery.</p>
<blockquote><p>“When you take a tool out of your arsenal — like for me, my pop — you feel a little incomplete. It affects your confidence, affects your swagger. Klinger, he&#8217;s been struggling with that run of injuries over the last couple of years, and I think you&#8217;re starting to see him feel good. And it just kind of rolls downhill from there.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Klingberg is looking more and more like an excellent mid-season addition.</p>
<p>&#8212; On Tuesday, McDavid became the second-fastest player in NHL history to record 90 playoff assists. He did it in his 81st game. Only Wayne Gretzky (67GP) did it in fewer games. Mario Lemieux is third at 97 GP.</p>
<p>&#8212; In the same game, Evan Bouchard became the second-fastest D-man to 50 playoff assists. He did it in his 60th playoff game. Only Bobby Orr was faster, reaching 50 assists in 59 games. Pretty lofty company for McDavid and Bouchard.</p>
<p>&#8212; Bouchard is having another strong playoff performance. At some point, his detractors will have to recognize that he makes way more good plays than bad, and you should prepare yourself for him getting a significant raise. He will make the odd play that infuriates you, but he makes more plays that excite you.</p>
<p>&#8212; Vegas only had three forwards with multiple shots on goal in <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/fans-social-media-react-oilers-game-1-win-golden-knights">Game 1</a>. Mark Stone was credited with two shots on goal, but one was the deflection off his skate. Jack Eichel had two shots, and both came in the first two minutes of the game. Vegas&#8217; forwards created very little all night. They were noticeably slower than the Oilers. It might have been just one game, but I will be watching to see if they can create more time and space for themselves and get in and pressure the Oilers’ defence more than they did in Game 1.</p>
<p>&#8212; Some interesting Vegas stats courtesy of Ken Boelke<strong><a href="https://x.com/SinBinVegas"> (SinBin.vegas on X)&#8230;</a></strong></p>
<p>In Game 1, VGK landed just nine shots on goal at 5-on-5. They had 28 unblocked shot attempts and 41 total shot attempts. Thus, they landed 32% of their unblocked shots and 22% of their total shots on net. Both of these are far and away the worst marks in the franchise&#8217;s history, which spans more than 700 regular-season and playoff games.</p>
<p>Lowest Percentage of Shot Attempts on Goal:<br />
21.95% &#8211; R2 2025 Game 1 vs EDM<br />
27.08% &#8211; SCF 2018 Game 3 vs WSH<br />
28.85% &#8211; 3/5/25 vs TOR<br />
29.63% &#8211; 4/10/24 vs EDM<br />
30.00% &#8211; WCF 2018 Game 1 vs WPG</p>
<p>Lowest Percentage of Unblocked Shots on Goal:<br />
32.14% &#8211; R2 2025 Game 1 vs EDM<br />
40.54% &#8211; 3/25/25 vs TOR<br />
45.61% &#8211; 4/10/24 vs EDM<br />
48.72% &#8211; 3/16/18 vs MIN<br />
50.00% &#8211; 4 Games</p>
<h1 class="border-b-accent text-accent mb-5 border-b-2 text-3xl font-bold">LINEUPS…</h1>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold"><a class="text-accent" href="https://oilersnation.com/combinations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oilers</a></h2>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Draisaitl – McDavid – Perry</strong><br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Kane – RNH –Hyman</strong><br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Frederic – Henrique – Brown</strong><br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Podkolzin – Janmark– Arvidsson</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Nurse – Bouchard</strong><br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Walman – Klingberg</strong><br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Kulak – Emberson</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Pickard</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>No lineup changes, again, for the Oilers. All four lines and the defence are playing well. Ty Emberson hasn&#8217;t played much during the five-game winning streak, averaging 8:15/game in that time. He logged 6:43 of ice time on Tuesday. They like him on the penalty kill, but limit his 5&#215;5 minutes. He will need to improve his puck-moving. In his 4:49 of 5&#215;5 play, he was hit four times. Klingberg was hit four times in 19:25, while Brett Kulak was hit three times in 18:40 and Nurse three times in 19:21. He has taken 21 hits in 56 minutes of 5&#215;5 play in the playoffs. That is tied for the team lead with Kulak, but Kulak has logged 142 minutes 5&#215;5. In the regular season, Emberson took 192 hits. Next closest was Troy Stecher at 113. Emberson will need to work on not putting himself in a position to take hits so often. He had the highest hits taken/60 in the NHL (among players with 42GP) at 11.79.</div>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold">Golden Knights</h2>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Barbashev – Eichel – Stone</strong><br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Saad – Hertl – Olofsson</strong><br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Howden – Karlsson – Smith</strong><br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Pearson – Roy – Kolesar</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Hague – Pietrangelo</strong><br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">McNabb – Theodore</strong><br />
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Hanafin – Whitecloud</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Hill</strong></div>
<p>Pavel Dorofeyev is still injured. Vegas switched all four of their lines, some changes occurred last game as Barhashev is back on the top line and Karlsson centres the third line. Alex Pietrangelo did skate this morning and head coach Bruce Cassidy said he is an option for tonight. Good chance he plays. Cassidy said the Oilers were better than them in the series opener and he did not like how they forechecked.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I just thought we were a little late at times, duplicated a few times and their first goal we were caught in between,&#8221; said Cassidy. &#8220;They’re going to look to make plays if you don’t play through them and that’s what they did. They bombed it up ice because we weren’t on time or our sticks were not in the right place to break up some of those plays. We have to have better sticks against a team that regroups with a lot of speed. So, take away time and space or get over people and have good sticks. It’s got to be both.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<h1>TONIGHT&#8230;</h1>
<p><strong>GAME DAY PREDICTION: </strong>Will the Oilers make their run to the Cup a bit easier and win both games in Vegas? It is very doable, but this group has rarely taken the easier path. The Pacers and Knicks just won both on the road, so I&#8217;ll stick with the 1990s theme: Oilers are victorious 4-3.</p>
<p><strong>OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION:</strong> McDavid picks up two assists and passes Stan Mikita and Gordie Howe and mine moves into 34th place for most playoff assists. It is his 82nd playoff game (they played 155 and 153, respectively).</p>
<p><strong>NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: </strong>Vasily Podkolzin scores and becomes the 12th Oilers forward with a goal this postseason.</p>

The core group of the Edmonton Oilers have held a 2-0 series lead once in their 13 playoff series since 2017. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-golden-knights-game-2-information-line-combinations-starting-goaltenders">On Thursday night</a>, they have an opportunity to make it two after defeating Vegas 4-2 in the opening game of the series.



Connor McDavid joked they don’t know what to do in this situation, because they rarely win the opening game of a series. They improved to 4-10 in Game 1s with the win, and the only time they swept the first two games was their 2017 second round series vs. Anaheim. They won both games on the road but ended up losing in seven games. That was the first playoff experience for McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse.

If they manage to win tonight, I’d be very surprised to see them lose the series. They are more experienced, but this team is also deeper and more skilled than the 2017 team. This group also knows tonight won’t be easy.
<blockquote>"It is a big game. Really big,” said McDavid. “It would be huge to come away from here with two (wins). I expect their level of play to go up, but I expect ours will as well."</blockquote>
The Oilers have gotten better each game they play this postseason. It would have been difficult to be worse than their first two games v. LA., but for long stretches in their past four games, they’ve completely dominated their opponents.

In the third period and overtime of Game 4, LA barely touched the puck. Game 5 was the most complete game I’ve seen this group play. They controlled the game from start to finish, and two nights ago in Vegas, Edmonton dominated the final 50 minutes. Vegas had three 5x5 shots in the final 40 minutes.
<blockquote>"Our game is building,” said McDavid. “I know that is what you say in the middle of the playoffs, but when you don't have a ton of runway with the group (due to injuries) coming down the stretch, it took us some time to get going. We are putting the pieces together as we go, and we are getting better and better each game.”</blockquote>
The stats and the eye test back McDavid’s assertion they are getting better. That doesn’t mean the improvement is consistently up hill. Their defensive play in the series clincher v. LA wasn’t what they’d like, but they found a way to win, and then quickly got back on track to start this series.

The Oilers rarely make things easy for themselves. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins took a double-minor only 93 seconds into the game. Vegas got a lucky, double deflection goal off the skate of Mark Stone 40 seconds into the man advantage, and Stone scored again at the 9:03 mark. But after that, the Oilers took over. Vegas had six shots 5x5 and a total of 11 shots in the final 50 minutes. None were rebounds. The closest time gap between shots was 29 seconds. Vegas had virtually no sustained pressure after leading 2-0.

Vegas believes they can play better, and they will, but considering the Oilers smothered LA in the final two periods of Game 4 and the entirety of Game 5 and for 50 minutes of Game 1 vs. Vegas, you can't just say it was because the Kings and Golden Knights didn't play well. The Oilers were the constant in those games, and they've shown they can be a very good defensive team, mainly by not spending much time in their own end. The Oilers’ blueliners, led by <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-john-klingberg-hips-people-taking-notice-a-lot-of-people-kind-of-wrote-him-off">John Klingberg</a> and Evan Bouchard, moved the puck quickly and efficiently Tuesday night.

The Oilers made long stretch passes to their forwards, often bypassing two or three Vegas forwards. Klingberg's pass on Corey Perry's goal was a great example of the blueliners’ excellent passing.

https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1919942050557907383

Vegas had a hard time creating offensive zone time because the Oilers’ D corps moved the puck up quickly all night. I also think Vegas didn't forecheck as hard as they usually do, and I wonder if we see a slightly different approach from them tonight. As McDavid said, they expect Vegas to play better.

But the Oilers can as well, mainly by not playing from behind. The good news is they've proven they can come from behind. They set an NHL playoff record by winning five-consecutive games where they overcame a deficit.
<blockquote>"I think the group is just comfortable in those situations, we've been there plenty of times," said McDavid on their ability to come back. "It is not necessarily the best position to put yourself in. We have to work on getting off to better starts and not put ourselves in that position, but we've shown we can come back and win and that is a great quality to have."</blockquote>
The Oilers have only scored first once in their seven playoff games. That was in Game 3 v. LA, where they led 2-0, before allowing LA to gain a 3-2 lead, before the Oilers stormed back in the third period. They are 1-0 when scoring first, but they are an impressive 4-2 when allowing the first goal.

Vegas is 0-2 when allowing the first goal. They are now 4-1 when scoring first, and in only one of those wins did they come from behind. Unlike the Oilers they haven't played from behind very often, but when Minnesota did score first, they crushed Vegas 5-2 both times. Outside of a third period comeback in Game 4, Vegas hasn't showed the same ability as the Oilers to come back in games.

<hr />

[caption id="attachment_174416" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]<img class="size-large wp-image-174416" src="http://publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/USATSI_26068777-1-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" /> May 1, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor Brown (28) celebrates after scoring a goal during the third period against the Los Angeles Kings in game six of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images[/caption]

<hr />

<h1>SNAPSHOTS....</h1>
--- Connor Brown's quickness has been on full display these playoffs. His insurance goal on Tuesday was a great example of how hard it is to defend speed in open ice. Brown blew by Shea Theodore, one of Canada's best defensemen.

https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1919969178720641111

&nbsp;

--- Brown was the right guy to ask about John Klingberg's stellar play. He knows the challenges of trying to find your game after major surgery.
<blockquote>“When you take a tool out of your arsenal — like for me, my pop — you feel a little incomplete. It affects your confidence, affects your swagger. Klinger, he's been struggling with that run of injuries over the last couple of years, and I think you're starting to see him feel good. And it just kind of rolls downhill from there.”</blockquote>
Klingberg is looking more and more like an excellent mid-season addition.

--- On Tuesday, McDavid became the second-fastest player in NHL history to record 90 playoff assists. He did it in his 81st game. Only Wayne Gretzky (67GP) did it in fewer games. Mario Lemieux is third at 97 GP.

--- In the same game, Evan Bouchard became the second-fastest D-man to 50 playoff assists. He did it in his 60th playoff game. Only Bobby Orr was faster, reaching 50 assists in 59 games. Pretty lofty company for McDavid and Bouchard.

--- Bouchard is having another strong playoff performance. At some point, his detractors will have to recognize that he makes way more good plays than bad, and you should prepare yourself for him getting a significant raise. He will make the odd play that infuriates you, but he makes more plays that excite you.

--- Vegas only had three forwards with multiple shots on goal in <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/fans-social-media-react-oilers-game-1-win-golden-knights">Game 1</a>. Mark Stone was credited with two shots on goal, but one was the deflection off his skate. Jack Eichel had two shots, and both came in the first two minutes of the game. Vegas' forwards created very little all night. They were noticeably slower than the Oilers. It might have been just one game, but I will be watching to see if they can create more time and space for themselves and get in and pressure the Oilers’ defence more than they did in Game 1.

--- Some interesting Vegas stats courtesy of Ken Boelke<strong><a href="https://x.com/SinBinVegas"> (SinBin.vegas on X)...</a></strong>

In Game 1, VGK landed just nine shots on goal at 5-on-5. They had 28 unblocked shot attempts and 41 total shot attempts. Thus, they landed 32% of their unblocked shots and 22% of their total shots on net. Both of these are far and away the worst marks in the franchise's history, which spans more than 700 regular-season and playoff games.

Lowest Percentage of Shot Attempts on Goal:
21.95% - R2 2025 Game 1 vs EDM
27.08% - SCF 2018 Game 3 vs WSH
28.85% - 3/5/25 vs TOR
29.63% - 4/10/24 vs EDM
30.00% - WCF 2018 Game 1 vs WPG

Lowest Percentage of Unblocked Shots on Goal:
32.14% - R2 2025 Game 1 vs EDM
40.54% - 3/25/25 vs TOR
45.61% - 4/10/24 vs EDM
48.72% - 3/16/18 vs MIN
50.00% - 4 Games
<h1 class="border-b-accent text-accent mb-5 border-b-2 text-3xl font-bold">LINEUPS…</h1>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold"><a class="text-accent" href="https://oilersnation.com/combinations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oilers</a></h2>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Draisaitl – McDavid – Perry</strong>
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Kane – RNH –Hyman</strong>
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Frederic – Henrique – Brown</strong>
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Podkolzin – Janmark– Arvidsson</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Nurse – Bouchard</strong>
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Walman – Klingberg</strong>
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Kulak – Emberson</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Pickard</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>No lineup changes, again, for the Oilers. All four lines and the defence are playing well. Ty Emberson hasn't played much during the five-game winning streak, averaging 8:15/game in that time. He logged 6:43 of ice time on Tuesday. They like him on the penalty kill, but limit his 5x5 minutes. He will need to improve his puck-moving. In his 4:49 of 5x5 play, he was hit four times. Klingberg was hit four times in 19:25, while Brett Kulak was hit three times in 18:40 and Nurse three times in 19:21. He has taken 21 hits in 56 minutes of 5x5 play in the playoffs. That is tied for the team lead with Kulak, but Kulak has logged 142 minutes 5x5. In the regular season, Emberson took 192 hits. Next closest was Troy Stecher at 113. Emberson will need to work on not putting himself in a position to take hits so often. He had the highest hits taken/60 in the NHL (among players with 42GP) at 11.79.</div>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold">Golden Knights</h2>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Barbashev – Eichel – Stone</strong>
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Saad – Hertl – Olofsson</strong>
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Howden – Karlsson – Smith</strong>
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Pearson – Roy – Kolesar</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Hague – Pietrangelo</strong>
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">McNabb – Theodore</strong>
<strong class="text-lg font-bold">Hanafin – Whitecloud</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Hill</strong></div>
Pavel Dorofeyev is still injured. Vegas switched all four of their lines, some changes occurred last game as Barhashev is back on the top line and Karlsson centres the third line. Alex Pietrangelo did skate this morning and head coach Bruce Cassidy said he is an option for tonight. Good chance he plays. Cassidy said the Oilers were better than them in the series opener and he did not like how they forechecked.
<blockquote>"I just thought we were a little late at times, duplicated a few times and their first goal we were caught in between," said Cassidy. "They’re going to look to make plays if you don’t play through them and that’s what they did. They bombed it up ice because we weren’t on time or our sticks were not in the right place to break up some of those plays. We have to have better sticks against a team that regroups with a lot of speed. So, take away time and space or get over people and have good sticks. It’s got to be both."</blockquote>
<h1>TONIGHT...</h1>
<strong>GAME DAY PREDICTION: </strong>Will the Oilers make their run to the Cup a bit easier and win both games in Vegas? It is very doable, but this group has rarely taken the easier path. The Pacers and Knicks just won both on the road, so I'll stick with the 1990s theme: Oilers are victorious 4-3.

<strong>OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION:</strong> McDavid picks up two assists and passes Stan Mikita and Gordie Howe and mine moves into 34th place for most playoff assists. It is his 82nd playoff game (they played 155 and 153, respectively).

<strong>NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: </strong>Vasily Podkolzin scores and becomes the 12th Oilers forward with a goal this postseason.

GDB +8.0: Oilers with a Rare Opportunity to take 2-0 Series Lead

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