Defensively, the Oilers had it all come together in their own zone to limit Mammoth opportunities by being tough to break down, while establishing their skating and the forecheck at the other end to extend time away from their own crease.
"We've been building towards it," Jake Walman said. "Just more of a commitment to team defence and getting the puck out of our own zone, stopping the puck, not letting them kind of cycle and get momentum. When you're doing well, they have to make two or three really good plays to get a look, so I think that's the goal. If we can play like that more, that will make us successful."
The Golden Knights have lost four of their last five games, getting outscored 16-5 over that span, so Thursday's divisional battle is one for the Oilers where defending strongly will be their primary objective to further limit Vegas' struggling offence and ultimately pick up the two points.
"There's a lot on the line here – not only for making playoffs, but seeding and maybe a home ice advantage situation," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "Hitting the playoffs, this is a team that I wouldn't say is playing poorly, but they're just finding it difficult to win games right now for whatever reason that is. But they're a good team, and every time we play them, we've always had a good game."
