Leon Draisaitl scored at 15:20 of overtime to give the Oilers a 5-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday in Las Vegas, lifting Edmonton to a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.
Connor McDavid set up the game-winner when he deked around Jack Eichel at the blue line, setting up a two-on-one with Draisaitl coming down the left wing. McDavid then slid a pass over to Draisaitl, who buried a wrist shot inside in the left post for the second career overtime winner.
“Obviously, an all-world play (by McDavid),” Draisaitl said.
The two Oilers stars had no points in the game until the OT tally.
“We know that it takes just one play,” McDavid said. “We’ve got to be the difference-makers. Disappointed that we weren’t able to find something all night. Kind of hung on and stuck with it. … Just found a way.”
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Saturday night in Edmonton.
Vasily Podkolzin had a goal and an assist, Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had a pair of assists and Jake Walman, Darnell Nurse and Evander Kane also scored goals for the Oilers, who extended their NHL record for comeback playoff victories to six in a row. Calvin Pickard finished with 28 saves.
“It took everything,” McDavid said. “It took a great effort from everybody, our goalie mainly. Without him, we don’t win tonight. Kind of hung on there. Fortunate to win probably, but good teams find a way to win these types of games, and we found a way.”
Victor Olofsson scored a pair of power-play goals and had an assist, Eichel logged three assists and Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and assist for Vegas. William Karlsson also scored a goal and Mark Stone added two assists for the Golden Knights. Adin Hill made 33 saves.
“I liked our game today,” Stone said. “A lot of good chances, put up four goals. Score four goals and you’re usually going to win a playoff game. Unfortunately, tonight we didn’t. Can’t get down. You got to go to Edmonton (on Friday), get ready for Saturday night’s game, put your best foot forward and get a win.”
Much like Game 1, Vegas controlled the action at the start of the first period thanks in part to a pair of penalties by Edmonton. The Oilers killed the first one but the Golden Knights capitalized on the second — a delay-of-game penalty on Adam Henrique — when Olofsson one-timed a Stone pass from the bottom of the right circle into the top right corner of the net for his first career playoff goal.
In the second period, the Oilers scored three goals in the span of 5:46 to take a 3-1 lead.
Walman tied it at the 11:31 mark with a slap shot from the top of the left circle that caromed in off the shin pad of Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb. It was Walman’s first career playoff goal.
Shortly after Pickard stopped Tanner Pearson’s point-blank try, the Oilers took a 2-1 lead when Podkolzin ripped a wrist shot from the top of the slot past Hill’s glove side at 15:18 for his first career playoff goal.
Nurse extended the lead to 3-1 when he snapped a shot from the top of the slot past Hill’s blocker side at 17:17.
Fifty-three seconds later, the Golden Knights cut it to 3-2 when Karlsson redirected Eichel’s point shot through Pickard’s pads.
Kane made it 4-2 early in the third period with a wrist shot from the low slot that deflected in off Pietrangelo’s stick. But the Golden Knights came right back less than three minutes later with a power-play goal on another Olofsson one-timer from the right circle.
Pietrangelo tied it 4-4 with 8:02 to go in regulation with a long wrist shot from the top of the left circle past a Tomas Hertl screen, setting the stage for overtime.
Draisaitl said of heading back to Edmonton with a 2-0 series lead, “It’s nice for now, but we know their best is coming and we’ve got to bring our best. We’ve got to go home, use the crowd. I’m sure it’s going to be loud and intense back home. Keep our foot on the gas and continue to chip away at it.”
–Field Level Media
