Morning Skate Report: May 3, 2023

The second round has arrived as the Vegas Golden Knights gear up to host the Edmonton Oilers for Game 1 on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: ESPN
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460

TRAFFIC UPDATE
The Vegas Golden Knights are encouraging fans to arrive early and stay late for Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers. Fans should be prepared for changes in traffic patterns around T-Mobile Arena that may cause delays. Frank Sinatra Dr. will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Excalibur Way and Arena Dr. To prepare for potential delay arriving to T-Mobile Arena, we suggest the following alternatives:

Arrive Early and Stay Late: parking garages will open four hours prior to puck drop. Arrive early and enjoy activations in Toshiba Plaza including free VGK tattoos (permanent and temporary), music, games, and more! Arena doors open at 5 p.m.

Modify Your Travel Routes: Unless necessary, we encourage you to seek alternative routes for arrival outside of the impacted Frank Sinatra Dr. areas. Las Vegas Blvd. will provide the best access to gameday parking garages. Be sure to utilize Waze when arriving for the most up-to-date information!

Gameday Express: The RTC will operate Golden Knights Express routes for home games during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Passes can be purchase on-site with cash at any Game Day Express pick-up location. Tickets are $2 one-way or $4 round trip.

Parking Garage Accommodations: As a convenience to fans, all parking passes for NYNY, Aria and Park MGM garages will be honored at the Excalibur garage.

FAN ACTIVATIONS
Fans are invited to join the fun on Toshiba Plaza outside T-Mobile Arena. Get to the arena early to get a complimentary VGK tattoo (permanent or temporary) or enjoy music, refreshments and entertainment before the doors open for the game.

SERIES PREVIEW
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 with a 50-23-9 record and 109 points. Vegas went 1-2-1 against Edmonton in the regular season. The four matchups consisted of a 4-3 overtime loss on Nov. 19, a 4-3 regulation loss on Jan. 14, a 4-3 overtime win on March 25 and a 7-4 loss on March 28. Vegas and Edmonton have never met in the postseason before.

HOW VEGAS GOT HERE
The Golden Knights knocked off the Winnipeg Jets in five games to advance to the second round. After dropping Game 1 on home ice, Vegas rattled off four consecutive wins to eliminate the Jets. Chandler Stephenson (4G, 4A) and Mark Stone (3G, 5A) led the series in scoring as both players found their offensive strides against Winnipeg. Laurent Brossoit posted a .915 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average in the opening round. Game 3 was the only game to go beyond regulation as Michael Amadio's goal early in the second overtime was the difference for Vegas.

HOW EDMONTON GOT HERE
The Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round for the second season in a row as Edmonton won the series in six games. After Los Angeles claimed a 2-1 series lead with an overtime win in Game 3, the Oilers won three consecutive games to clinch the series on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. Leon Draisaitl led the Oilers in scoring in their first series with 11 points (7G, 4A) with Connor McDavid close behind with 10 points (3G, 7A). Stuart Skinner picked up three of the four wins against the Kings while Jack Campbell earned one victory in a relief performance.

SEASON SERIES
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, 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, Mark Stone scored halfway through the period to tie it again, 3-3. 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 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. Warren 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.

AROUND THE NHL
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers (Series tied, 0-0)
Seattle Kraken vs. Dallas Stars (Seattle leads, 1-0)

Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Florida leads, 1-0)
New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Series tied, 0-0)

KEYS TO THE GAME
Play clean:Edmonton's power play is a key part of their offense as it clicked at 32.4 percent in the regular season and is rolling at 56.3 percent in the playoffs. Discipline will be important for the Golden Knights to not give the Oilers and man advantages.

Set the Tone:Vegas and Edmonton will square off in the postseason for the first time and, while the teams know each other well, the playoffs are a different animal. Both teams had to fight to get to Round 2 and both will look to establish their game against the other in Game 1.