LAS VEGAS -- Championship teams receive championship performances from their championship-caliber players during successful runs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Edmonton Oilers laid down their 2023 championship pedigree with a 5-1 road dismantling of the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Western Conference Second Round on Saturday.
They scored four goals in the first 16:17 of the game, two on the power-play and one short-handed. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid each had two goals.
"I thought it was a good game for our team, we were fast, we were physical and we got on top of them early, and we were able to assert the type of game we wanted to tonight," Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said.
More impressively, they limited the Golden Knights to four shots in the first period.
"They were better than us early on and they separated from us quickly in the first period by converting on those power-play opportunities," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We didn't do those things necessary; we didn't do them. They were better than us, hungrier than us, converted better. That is it."
The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1 with Game 3 in Edmonton on Monday (8:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS).
In series that are tied 1-1, Edmonton is 18-6 (75 percent) all-time, including 10-4 when it starts on the road (71.4 percent).
For the didn't-watch-too-long crowd, go look at the first 20 minutes of Game 2 for the CliffsNotes version of the Oilers' case that they have arrived as a legit contender for a trophy they have not won since 1990.
They used their speed to keep the puck away from the Golden Knights, they owned the battle on special teams and they rode their stars heavily.
That is a recipe for a championship in this league.
"I mean, we have great belief in our room," McDavid said. "A lot of teams do at this point in the season, there is only eight teams left. I would say our group feels pretty good where they are at."
The Oilers showed no fear walking into T-Mobile Arena, one of the most intimidating barns in North America. They didn't care that they had lost Game 1 and were down 1-0 in a seventh straight best-of-7 series. They didn't care about the two days off between games or the fact that they had played twice in 10 days. The narratives questioning them fell on deaf ears.
Instead, they talked the talk during the two off days, saying their culture had grown to handle adversity. Nobody spoke louder than the mild-mannered coach.
In the hours leading up to the game, he said they would be ready.
"Whether we are home, away or in Hudson Bay, it doesn't matter to us where we play," Woodcroft said in his pregame availability.
Then they walked the walk, playing one of their most connected games of the playoffs, which is what championship-caliber teams do.
After a Game 1 that many Oilers graded out as a C with too many passengers on board, Game 2 was an A-plus, with no passengers.
"I don't know if it is the best game we played, but it was the start we need early, especially in a building like this, down 1-0 in the series," Edmonton forward Evander Kane said. "We got that first period where we wanted to be, up a bunch of goals. We followed it up and we didn't let them climb back into the game.
"We kept pushing and playing our game, and when we do that against this team, we are pretty confident."
Draisaitl drove the bus like he did in Game 1 when he scored each of his team's four goals in a 6-4 loss. This time, he scored the first and final goals of a four-goal first period that basically put the game -- and the rowdy crowd -- to bed.
Draisaitl is the first NHL player to score 13 goals in an eight-game span in the playoffs since Jari Kurri of the Oilers did it in 1985.
"He is playing on another level," McDavid said. "I am not sure why anyone would be surprised at this point because he is the best player in the world a lot of nights, and he has showed that on a regular basis."
McDavid scored twice as well, after only scoring once in his past four games. He said he would be better, and he was. He had seven shot attempts.
His short-handed goal, in which he turned the puck over at the defending blue line and fought off defenseman Shea Theodore before a one-handed, against-the-grain push shot found the back of the net, will be played on a loop.
Evan Bouchard continues to fuel the absolutely lethal power play that was 3-for-6 in Game 2 and is 5-for-9 for the series. Bouchard had the game-winning goal on the power play and an assist on the man-advantage goal by McDavid.
Bouchard has 14 points this postseason, 12 on the power play.
Goalie Stuart Skinner allowed five goals in Game 1. He responded with a 30-save performance Saturday, showing a resiliency that belies his rookie status.
He has lost three times in the postseason and responded with a win his next start each time.
It is all part of going deep in the playoffs. But, another part is understanding the journey that remains and not getting bogged down in what has happened.
"You know, we have an approach to how we go about our business every day," Woodcroft said. "You are going to have some good days in the National Hockey League, and you are going to have some tough days. We try to use the full 82-game game schedule to prepare ourselves for this time of year. That culture, that mindset, that is driven by our leadership."
