LAS VEGAS -- Hostilities will be renewed between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).
It’s a rematch of the hotly contested series from two seasons ago; the teams met in this round in 2023 and the games were fast, skilled, physical and emotionally charged. The Golden Knights won the best-of-7 series in six games, using it as a springboard to their first Stanley Cup championship, secured against the Florida Panthers a month later.
Expect more of the same this time around with each team a legitimate contender to win the Stanley Cup. Vegas won the Pacific Division and Edmonton boasts arguably the two best forwards in the game in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers were one win -- one goal -- away from winning the Cup last season, losing to the Panthers in a seven-game Final.
“Definitely some heat from a couple of years ago, some hard feelings,” said Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill, who replaced the injured Laurent Brossoit in the Game 3 win two seasons ago and finished the series, winning each of his two starts. “It’ll be good, high intensity. Guessing it will be pretty physical out there, maybe a little chippy. There’s going to be a lot of good hockey players on the ice.”
Plus, Game 1 is going to be vital. Vegas enters having won the final three games of its first-round series against the Minnesota Wild to eliminate them in six. Edmonton has won four straight since falling into an 0-2 hole in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings.
Teams that win Game 1 in a best-of-7 series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are 531-249 (68.1 percent). That number improves to 75.1 percent if the home team is victorious.
“Last series was a little different just with the transition from the regular season to the playoffs,” Oilers forward Evander Kane said. “No excuse, but it was a bit of a fact. We understand that getting down 2-0 isn’t a recipe for success, especially against a team like Vegas. It’s important for us to go down there and get one and be ready for Game 1.”
Here is a breakdown of Game 1:
Oilers: Edmonton is healthy and has settled into a forward rotation with which it is comfortable. The Oilers have been playing McDavid and Draisaitl together with Corey Perry on the top line. McDavid and Draisaitl each returned from late-season injuries and have hit their stride. McDavid had 11 points (two goals, nine assists) and Draisaitl had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) against the Kings. Edmonton deployed the same lines the past two games.
“Feels like an eternity with what has gone in in the last month of the season,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said.
Golden Knights: Top-line forward Pavel Dorofeyev remains out after he was injured during the third period of Game 5 against the Wild. He is listed as day to day. Don’t be surprised if Vegas switches its defense pairs; coach Bruce Cassidy is not shy about moving his tandems around to get the best matchup possible in-game. With several big, rangy defensemen at his disposal, there is the option for some interchangeability.
