VGK2223_Look Ahead flat-Recovered

The Vegas Golden Knights have advanced to the Second Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs where they will face-off against a red-hot Edmonton Oilers squad. Here's a rundown of what to expect in the second-round matchup.

2023 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND SCHEDULE
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. EDMONTON OILERS
Game 1: Wednesday, May 3, 6:30 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena (ESPN)
Game 2: Saturday, May 6, 4 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena (TNT)
Game 3: Monday, May 8, 5:30 p.m. PT at Rogers Place (ESPN)
Game 4: Wednesday, May 10, 7 p.m. PT at Rogers Place (ESPN)
\Game 5: Friday, May 12, (Time TBD) at T-Mobile Arena (TNT)
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Game 6: Sunday, May 14, (Time TBD) at Rogers Place (Broadcast TBD)
\Game 7: Tuesday, May 16, (Time TBD) at T-Mobile Arena (TNT)
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If necessary

The Golden Knights finished the regular season as Pacific Division Champions and atop the Western Conference with a 51-22-9 record and 111 points. The Edmonton Oilers finished in second place in the Pacific Division behind the Golden Knights with a 50-23-9 record and 109 points. This is the first time Vegas and Edmonton will meet in the playoffs. The Golden Knights went 1-2-1 against the Oilers during the regular season and are 8-9-2 against Edmonton all-time.

On Nov. 19, the Golden Knights lost 4-3 to the Oilers in overtime at Rogers Place. Warren Foegele scored two minutes into the first, putting the Oilers up 1-0. With four minutes remaining in the period, Keegan Kolesar tied it 1-1. In the second period, Mark Stone regained the lead for Vegas making it 2-1. Six minutes later, Leon Draisaitl tied things up 2-2. In the third, Zach Hyman scored a power-play goal to help the Oilers regain the lead at 3-2. Then, Stone scored halfway through the period to tie it again, 3-3. Connor McDavid netted the overtime winner just one minute in to solidify the 4-3 win.

The second meeting between the teams was on Jan. 14 which resulted in a 4-3 loss for the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. The Oilers began the game with two goals in less than two minutes from Mattias Janmark and Draisaitl. Kolesar then cut the Oilers' lead to 2-1 with less than two minutes remaining in the first. In the middle frame, Draisaitl scored his second goal of the game to extend the lead to 3-1. Paul Cotter scored for Vegas six minutes later to bring them within one. Klim Kostin responded quickly, putting the Oilers ahead yet again, 4-2. William Karlsson scored with less than one minute left in the period to make the final score 4-3.

The Golden Knights beat the Oilers, 4-3, in overtime on March 25 at Rogers Place. Jack Eichel scored one minute into the game, putting Vegas up 1-0. Hyman responded two minutes later, tying the game 1-1. Pavel Dorofeyev then scored on the power play, making it 2-1. Halfway through the second period, Draisaitl scored a power-play goal to tie things up at 2-2. Then, in the third, Jonathan Marchessault scored to bring Vegas ahead, 3-2. Foegle scored halfway through the third to tie the game yet again, 3-3. Nicolas Roy was the overtime hero, scoring two minutes in for the 4-3 victory.

The last meeting of the season between the teams was on March 28 at T-Mobile Arena, which resulted in a 7-4 win for the Oilers. Marchessault scored the first goal just over a minute into the first period, putting Vegas up 1-0. Evan Bouchard then scored a power-play goal for the Oilers, making it 1-1. Seven minutes later, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins put Edmonton ahead, 2-1. Karlsson then scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game, 2-2. Less than one minute later, Draisaitl scored on the power play to put the Oilers ahead 3-2. In the second, Michael Amadio tied the game at 3-3. Darnell Nurse then scored three minutes later to make it 4-3. Evander Kane extended Edmonton's lead to 5-3 seven minutes later. With five minutes remaining in the period, Hyman scored on the power play to make it 6-3 Oilers. In the third, Brett Kulak scored making it 7-3. With less than two minutes remaining, Marchessault scored his second of the game to bring the final score to 7-4 Edmonton.

NOTABLE STATSPlayoff points leaders:
Vegas -
Chandler Stephenson - 8 points (4G, 4A)
Mark Stone - 8 points (3G, 5A)
William Karlsson - 5 points (4G, 1A)

Edmonton -
Leon Draisaitl - 11 points (7G, 4A)
Connor McDavid - 10 points (3G, 7A)
Evan Bouchard - 10 points (2G, 8A)

Goaltending comparison:Vegas -
Laurent Brossoit - 2.42 GAA, .915 SV%

Edmonton -
Stuart Skinner - 3.43 GAA, .890 SV%
Jack Campbell - 1.18 GAA, .964 SV%