The Vegas Golden Knights are rolling. They’ve won six in a row and have outscored teams 28-13 during that stretch. Their top players are producing, their team defence is connected, and their goaltending is sharp. Tonight will be a major challenge for the short-staffed Edmonton Oilers.

Edmonton has matched up very well against the Golden Knights over the past five regular seasons going 9-4-1. Offence hasn’t been an issue with 48 goals in those games and Edmonton has scored 4+ goals in eight of their nine victories. Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman have led the way with nine goals each, and the Oilers have rarely had a full lineup vs. Vegas.

Only Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard have played all 14 games. They are used to facing Vegas with injuries and tonight will be no different with Connor McDavid, Mattias Ekholm, Stuart Skinner, Trent Frederic and Evander Kane out of the lineup. John Klingberg is also injured.

Vegas will be without Tomas Hertl and Alex Pietrangelo, so they have key injuries of their own.

Edmonton likes playing Vegas. The games are usually very entertaining and high scoring and despite a rash of injuries, I expect the Oilers to be ready. They better be, because Vegas is rolling and while these two teams won’t meet in the first round, they could go head-to-head in round two and both squads would love to plant a seed of doubt, regardless of how small it might be, inside their opponent.

Vegas has the third-best record in the league since 4 Nations. They are 12-3-2 and have crushed the opposition 65-39 on the scoreboard. Their power play is a sizzling 40.5% (15-for-37). Jack Eichel leads them with 24 points, and they have 10 players with at least three goals. Bruce Cassidy likes to roll four lines as Eichel leads all forwards averaging 19:00/game since the break. The Oilers will need a full team effort tonight, and as the calendar turns to April, I expect will see a bit more intensity as the Oilers look to ramp up their play.

— It would be disingenuous to say the Oilers have held back their play, especially Leon Draisaitl who has been unreal all season, but I don’t think the Oilers’ intensity and passion meter was cranked up often enough. Corey Perry’s comments after the Dallas game about “we will address it internally,” when discussing the lack of response to Stuart Skinner being hit by Mikko Rantanen, came to fruition vs. Calgary. The Oilers didn’t hesitate to engage in scrums or go after a guy if they felt they were trying to take advantage of them. It wasn’t just a coincidence that Perry didn’t hesitate to go after Mikael Backlund. He was trying to send a message to his teammates that it was time to crank up the intensity.

I don’t think every game will be like that, especially the three vs. San Jose, as the Sharks have nothing to play for, but tonight, the two games vs. LA and the game next week against the surging Blues I think we will see more focus and intensity. It is time.

— Knoblauch’s response to Mattias Ekholm’s injury sounded positive. “It isn’t like Evander Kane’s last year where it didn’t matter how much time off he had, it was always going to be ongoing. It is not an injury like that. It is something that can heal and he can be 100%. He just needs time.” Would be a surprise if Ekholm joined the Oilers on the road trip.

— Kasperi Kapanen has a great shot, but he rarely uses it. He has five shots in his last 10 games while averaging 12:21 TOI/game. His reluctance to shoot will likely cost him a spot in the lineup when Kane and Trent Frederic make an appearance. Kapanen has all the tools to be an effective NHLer. He skates well, he has a great shot, he moves well, he can kill penalties, but he struggles with consistency. He made a great first impression with four goals in his first 15 games, but he only has one in his last 33 and none in his last 22 games. He has all the tools to be a contributor, but he isn’t using them often enough. If he wants to see the ice in the playoffs, he will need to make an impact over the next few games and he has a great opportunity tonight on a line with Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

— Connor McDavid was on the ice this morning, but in a non-contact grey jersey. As was Trent Frederic. Neither will play tonight, but it is progress.

— Side note, not related to tonight, but worth mentioning. Gavin McKenna, who isn’t draft-eligible until next season due to having a December birthday is absolutely torching the WHL right now. He was suspended for three games in late February, but since returning to the ice he is on fire. He scored 23 points in five regular season games and has nine points in two playoff games for a whopping 32 points in seven games since returning from suspension. The pride of Whitehorse has NHL scouts drooling. Rumours persist that he will be going to the NCAA next season, which is unfortunate for the WHL and their fans. McKenna is a very good young player; however, I encourage everyone not to overhype him. We saw that with Connor Bedard. The asinine comparisons to McDavid and everyone wanting to be the first to anoint him a “generational” player. Don’t make the same mistake with McKenna. Enjoy his skill, be excited about what he might come, but don’t put unrealistic expectations on him. Any media member or fan who does should be ashamed of themselves. It is unfair and unnecessary.

Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Arvidsson

Hyman – RNH – Kapanen

Skinner – Janmark – Brown

Jones –Henrique – Perry

Walman– Bouchard

Nurse – Stecher

Kulak – Emberson

Pickard

We will likely see a lot of Draisaitl vs. Eichel tonight. It should be a great matchup. Calvin Pickard starts tonight, and Kevin Woodley, from In Goal Magazine, had an interesting take on Pickard getting consecutive starts. “There is a lot of flow to his game. He is more reliant on rhythm, and I think it is more difficult to play his style as a backup, where he doesn’t get to play as often. I think he might be better getting more frequent starts, as his style is based more on rhythm and timing and as he plays more, he will get more comfortable,” said Woodley.

The Oilers have no back-to-backs on the trip, but giving Olivier Rodrigue a start in San Jose on Thursday makes sense on a lot of levels. It gets him a start, against a struggling team who is playing a lot of young players and then Pickard gets a rest before a matinee game in LA on Saturday.

Barbashev – Eichel – Stone

Saad – Roy –Dorofeyev

Olofsson – Karlsson – Smith

Pearson – Howden – Kolesar

McNabb – Theodore

Hanafin – Whitecloud

Hague – Korczak

Hill

Pietrangelo and Hertl won’t play, so both teams will be without some key players.

Brett Howden is listed as the fourth-line center, but he’s much more than that. He has 22 goals and plays just under 15 minutes a game. He is one of six forwards with 19+ goals. Stone has 19, Barbashev 20, Howden 22, Eichel 27 and Hertl and Dorofeyev each have 31. Vegas has four other forwards in double digits with Roy (11), Pearson and Kolesar (12) and Olofsson 13. William Karlsson has seven, but he’s only played 44 games.

Edmonton has eight forwards with double digit goals, and they’ve combined for 175 goals. Vegas’ top eight forwards also have 175 goals, but then the rest of the Oilers forwards have 23 goals, while Vegas’ have 41.

Edmonton needs more offensive finish from the likes of Vasily Podkolzin, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark.

GAME DAY PREDICTION: Oilers lose 4-3 in OT.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Draisaitl scores his 52nd goal. He will set a new career high in goals this season.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Troy Stecher scores his first career goal against Vegas.