EDMONTON -- Pavel Dorofeyev will return for the Vegas Golden Knights as they try to slice into the Edmonton Oilers' 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Second Round in Game 3 at Rogers Place on Saturday (9 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, MAX).
The forward missed the Golden Knights' past three games with an undisclosed injury, sustained against the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of the first round. He had an NHL career-high 52 points (35 goals, 17 assists) in 82 games this season -- he led Vegas in goals -- and two points (one goal, one assist) in five games this postseason.
“He’s our leading goal-scorer,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said Saturday. “I think [forward Victor] Olofsson you saw the other night can go in his power-play spot, they’ve been interchangeable there, but he’s still a threat 5-on-5.
"Also, he’s a young guy that hasn’t been through the playoff grind, so for his own personal development, not only for this year, going forward, these are experiences, if you ask most young guys, they have to live through and they’ll get better from year to year.”
Dorofeyev is expected to skate at right wing on Vegas' second line alongside Olofsson at left wing and Tomas Hertl at center.
The Golden Knights will be without defenseman Brayden McNabb, who sustained an upper-body injury in overtime during a 5-4 loss in Game 2 of the best-of-7 series, crashing into the end boards after getting tangled up with Oilers forward Viktor Arvidsson.
Forward Brandon Saad will also be out with a lower-body injury sustained in Game 2; McNabb and Saad each is day to day, according to Cassidy.
Nicolas Roy will remain in the Vegas lineup; the defenseman was fined $7,812.50, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Edmonton forward Trent Frederic in overtime of Game 2. Roy was assessed a five-minute major for the infraction.
If Edmonton aims to take a 3-0 series lead and extend its playoff winning streak to six games, it will have to do so after making a goalie change; Stuart Skinner will start in place of Calvin Pickard, who sustained a lower-body injury in Game 2 and is day to day.
“We have confidence in both guys and both guys have given us great performances all year long,” Oilers forward Evander Kane said. “Whoever is in the net, we have all the confidence in the world.”
Pickard appeared to have been injured when Hertl fell on him in the third period, just prior to defenseman Alex Pietrangelo scoring at 11:58 to tie the game 4-4. Pickard remained in the game and finished with 28 saves.
Skinner is 0-2 with a 6.11 goals-against average and .810 save percentage in two starts this postseason, losses to the Los Angeles Kings in Games 1 and 2 in the first round. Pickard has started every game since, going 6-0 with a 2.84 GAA and .888 save percentage.
Skinner went 14-9 with a 2.45 GAA and .901 save percentage during the 2024 playoffs, helping Edmonton reach the Stanley Cup Final, where it lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games.
During the regular season, Skinner was 26-18-4 with a 2.81 GAA, .896 save percentage and three shutouts in 51 games (50 starts).
“We’re very fortunate we’ve got two goalies we’ve got a lot of confidence in,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “For [Pickard] to go on this run throughout the playoffs without a loss is really remarkable, and we were just riding the hot hand. Unfortunately, he's not available for us right now. Fortunately, we've got a great backup option, and when I say backup, our starter for all the year.”
Here is a breakdown of Game 3:
Golden Knights: Vegas is expected to be a desperate team after losing the first two games of the series at home. McNabb will be missed on the blue line and will be replaced by Kaedan Korczak, who has played one game so far in the playoffs. The Golden Knights are 2-1 on the road in the playoffs, winning two of three games at the Minnesota Wild in the first round. The Vegas penalty kill is 5-for-5 through the first two games of this series.
Oilers: Skinner is 19-17 with a 3.00 GAA, .889 save percentage and one shutout in 37 playoff starts with Edmonton over the past three seasons. Apart from the change in goal, Edmonton will go with the same lineup it has utilized since Game 2 of the first round. The Oilers' longest winning streak in a single playoff season is nine games, which it accomplished in 1985 on the way to winning the Stanley Cup.
Number to know: 36. That’s how many playoff goals Vegas captain Mark Stone has scored, which is tied for the Golden Knights' lead with Jonathan Marchessault.
What to look for: Can Vegas keep Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in check for a second consecutive game? The Oilers dynamic duo was kept off the scoresheet in Game 2 until combining for the overtime winner, scored by Draisaitl. McDavid (three assists) has yet to score a goal in the series. Will Edmonton's power play break out? It is scoreless in two games with the man-advantage, including a five-minute major assessed to Roy in overtime in Game 2.
