Smith gets second straight shutout, Oilers defeat Golden Knights

EDMONTON -- Mike Smith got his second straight shutout when he made 39 saves for the Edmonton Oilers in 4-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place on Saturday.

The 40-year-old goalie got his first shutout of the season in a 4-0 victory at the Nashville Predators on Thursday. Smith is 6-0-0 in April with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .955 save percentage.
"I've said it numerous times, I think at this time of the season, you want to be on the top of your game and a big reason why you're headed to the playoffs and in the playoffs and playing your best games to give the team the best chance to win," Smith said. "That's all I've been focused on and not dwelling on what's happened before or in the past. That's out of my control now, so I've been focused on my next game and really been working hard to get it back on the rails. I feel like the last month or so, I've been playing some solid hockey."
Kris Russell scored his first goal in three years for the Oilers (44-26-6), who have won eight of their past 10 games. Edmonton is second in the Pacific Division, four points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.
"There is something to be said about what we're doing and what guys are committed to doing and putting the team first," Smith said. "I think everyone is just committed to winning, and you can tell. There is a second and third effort, there is a willingness to block a shot or box a guy out or the little things it takes to win hockey games that we talk about all the time. When you do it on a consistent basis, you get good results and I think we're getting that right now."

Logan Thompson made 32 saves for the Golden Knights (41-30-5), who have lost three of five (2-2-1).
Vegas is three points behind the Kings for third place in the Pacific and four points behind the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators for the wild cards from the Western Conference.
''We have to regroup,'' Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. ''We've talked about this, we knew we weren't going to run the table and we talked about two weeks ago, we were going to drop some points along the way, but we're still right in the thick of things. We have to have a short memory and get ready for the next one (against the New Jersey Devils on Monday).''
Russell gave Edmonton a 1-0 lead at 16:26 of the first period. Zack Kassian passed up a shooting opportunity at the side of the net with Thompson down and decided to slide the puck back to Russell in the high slot.
It was Russell's first goal in 126 games; he hadn't scored since Mar. 17, 2019, also against the Golden Knights.
"I didn't know that; actually, we have been having a few dinners on the road," Kassian said. "I didn't want the freebie. Looking at the replay, it rolled on me for a second there and I could have probably flicked it over the goalie, but then I saw 'Rusty' coming down, so I figured I'd give him a shot. He bought me a few meals on the road, so I thought I would give him a freebie."
Cody Ceci scored 35 seconds into the third period on a point shot through traffic to make it 2-0, and Warren Foegele made it 3-0 on a breakaway at 5:16 after a turnover by Alec Martinez at the Oilers blue line.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored shorthanded at 15:32 for the 4-0 final.
Smith made 14 saves in the third.
"We got contributions for up and down the lineup," Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said. "Different people are finding ways to contribute, and that's what good teams have, a lot of contributing and productive players. The way we're asking our players to play is not an easy style, but our players are putting the work in and it's fun to see them execute."
NOTES: Smith is the sixth goalie 40 or older to have back-to-back shutouts, joining Dominik Hasek (twice), Johnny Bower (twice), Martin Brodeur, Dwayne Roloson and George Hainsworth. … Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto briefly left the game in the second period but was able to return after getting hit by a shot from teammate Evan Bouchard. … Jiri Patera served as Thompson's backup after being recalled from Henderson of the American Hockey League on Friday. Goalie Robin Lehner returned to Las Vegas because of a health issue with a family member.