NHL 2022-23 Playoffs Western Conference RD 2: Vegas (P1) vs. Edmonton (P2) - (Vegas wins series 4-2)

[pilldoc]

Game 1: Knights 6 Oilers 4
Game 2: Oilers 5 Knights 1
Game 3: Knights 5 Oilers 1
Game 4: Oilers 4 Knights 1
Game 5: Knights 4 Oilers 3
*Game 6: Knights 5 Oilers 2
*Game 7: Tuesday, May 16, (Time TBD) at T-Mobile Arena (TNT)
* If necessary

 

All discussion here

Edited May 15, 2023 by pilldoc

[OccamsRazor]

I have to take the Oil in 7.

[pilldoc]

Taking the Oilers in 7 but I still think their Achilles Heal is in goal.

[Buffalo Rick]

Vegas wins this in 6.  Maybe the most balanced team left?  My pick to represent the West unless Dallas plays lights out.  I believe the West comes down to Vegas and Dallas.  Why Edmonton is slightly favored is mind boggling to me. Why? McDavid?   

[Math]

Goalies: 

Defense: 

Offense: 

Special teams (PP/PK): 

Coaching: 

Mental: 

Experience: 

Robustness: 

Depth: 

 

The goal is clear for Vegas: staying out of the box: Edmonton's PP is just insane but I don't trust Skinner/Campbell at all. This one can go to the limit as well but I'll go with Oilers in 7 because of special teams.

[thegx.ca]

11 hours ago, Math said:

Goalies: 

Defense: 

Offense: 

Special teams (PP/PK): 

Coaching: 

Mental: 

Experience: 

Robustness: 

Depth: 

 

The goal is clear for Vegas: staying out of the box: Edmonton's PP is just insane but I don't trust Skinner/Campbell at all. This one can go to the limit as well but I'll go with Oilers in 7 because of special teams.

Agree with your ratings here except for experience I'll give the edge to Vegas they still have players left that went to the Cup finals...it's a coin toss for me...I could see Vegas winning in 6 or 7 too...but the McDavid factor is too strong so I'll take Edmonton in 7...

[yave1964]

oilers in six, should be a very fun series. Knights block shots better than almost any team in the league helping their very, very average goaltending but Edmonton too deep.

[pilldoc]

Game 1: Wednesday, May 3, 6:30 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena (ESPN)
Game 2: Saturday, May 6, 4 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena (TNT)
Game 3: Monday, May 8, 5:30 p.m. PT at Rogers Place (ESPN)
Game 4: Wednesday, May 10, 7 p.m. PT at Rogers Place (ESPN)
*Game 5: Friday, May 12, (Time TBD) at T-Mobile Arena (TNT)
*Game 6: Sunday, May 14, (Time TBD) at Rogers Place (Broadcast TBD)
*Game 7: Tuesday, May 16, (Time TBD) at T-Mobile Arena (TNT)
* If necessary

Edited May 3, 2023 by pilldoc

[pilldoc]

schedule updated

[JR Ewing]

As an Oilers fan, my point-form take.

 

-I watched every game of the Avs vs Knights series two years ago, and their games against Winnipeg this playoff. Vegas has a big and fast bottom six that can really forecheck hard. They don’t create a lot, but they shift the flow of play and don’t give up much. After the first game blowout, the Knights were able to shut down what was at the time a top-heavy Avs team. It's a little more difficult to gauge the Winnipeg series: VKG had so much more AAV in the lineup than the depleted Jets, who basically ran out of gas just trying to get to the playoffs.

-You could also argue that the Avs wilted under physical intimidation led by Ryan Reeves. They had no push back or answer for that at all; it's just not how their roster is constructed. Obviously, Reeves is no longer with the club.

-The Golden Knights don't make a lot of mistakes and they don't give a lot away to the opposition. The Oilers used to be frustrated playing against that style, would over-extend and be punished for it, but now do a far better job of staying within the structure until opportunities present themselves or they force the opposition into a penalty. Vegas is very disciplined, and doesn't take a lot of those.

-In general, I don't like playing McDavid and Draisaitl together, unless McDavid is actually injured, but really I don’t like the idea of loading up the top line against the Knights in particular.

 

 

[thegx.ca]

Finally McDavid vs Eichel in the playoffs

[FD19372]

If Logan Thompson were in net, I think Vegas would push this to seven. I don't this series is going past six games.

 

Oilers in 6.

[Brewin Flames]

Golden Knights overcome Leon Draisaitl's 4 goals to take opener

LAS VEGAS -- How the Vegas Golden Knights walked away with a 6-4 win Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs could be a microcosm of what lies ahead.

Everything the Golden Knights sought to accomplish in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals at T-Mobile Arena fit within their overall scheme. But it also came with a sense of latitude, that there could be exceptions.

On Wednesday night, Oilers superstar center Leon Draisaitl was the exception. The 2020 Hart Memorial Trophy winner scored all four of his team's goals, taking his postseason totals to a league-high 11 goals and 15 points.

But asked whether he took any consolation from his four-goal performance, Draisaitl said simply, "No."

 

 

Draisaitl's four-goal game came less than 24 hours after veteran Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski, who missed five games in the first round while in the concussion protocol, also scored four times in his team's 5-4 overtime loss Tuesday to the Seattle Kraken. It was only the second time in league history that a player had a four-goal performance on consecutive days in the postseason, according to the NHL.

 

Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy was far more vocal about Draisaitl's performance than Draisaitl. Cassidy was breaking down what happened on all four goals before making a statement about Draisaitl that drew laughter.

"Leon Draisaitl with his 11th goal of the playoffs," Cassidy said. "Does that sound funny to you? Eleven goals. We're in the first game of the second round. I mean, it's unbelievable."

 

But on the whole, Cassidy and his players sounded mostly pleased with their overall defensive approach.

 

"I thought we did have defensive success to be quite honest with you," Cassidy said with a grin. "I didn't think it was a barrage. They had a real good push in the third where we got on our heels a little bit. We cannot do that against this team. We almost had to go back to playing like we were behind once it got to 5-4. We still made plays, so, that's what it looked like for me tonight."

 

Going back to his time with the Boston Bruins, Cassidy's defensive tactics are designed to be suppressive. It's a structure that, when at its peak, has all five skaters actively engaged in the forecheck while constantly skating. From there, it's about taking that movement and adding other components, whether they be subtle or a bit more pronounced.

 

Vegas limited Edmonton to three shots on goal early and finished the opening frame with only eight total shots.

 

"If we have a chance to dictate, we're going to take it," said Golden Knights center William Karlsson, who finished with an assist. "I think we did that. We had a great start, and it just continued on. I think overall, we played a pretty good game. I think we were dictating most of the game, and if you can keep it that way, that would be great. I would rather have that than let them dictate the game."

 

Draisaitl scored the bookend goals of a five-goal opening period. His first came on the power play, then the Golden Knights scored three straight thanks to Ivan Barbashev, Michael Amadio and captain Mark Stone.

 

Vegas was 11 seconds away from taking a two-goal lead into intermission before Draisaitl, who was just to the right of goaltender Laurent Brossoit, found enough space to bank the puck off Brossoit's back to cut the lead to 3-2.

Draisaitl tied the game less than two minutes into the third period with a power-play goal for a unit that finished 2-for-3 on the extra skater advantage.

 

If Draisaitl scoring seemingly at will has become a familiar sight, so has the number of rapid goals scored within two minutes. Every first-round series had at least two instances in which two goals were scored in quick succession.

That happened again Wednesday night when the Golden Knights took a 5-3 lead when Barbashev scored his second and Chandler Stephenson also scored. The goals were scored 50 second apart.

 

 

"I don't think we adhered to what our game plan was tonight," Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. "I thought we were too loose, and as I said, I thought we made some individual errors that we haven't seen in a long time."

Draisaitl scored his fourth to cut the lead to 5-4 before a late empty-net goal from Jack Eichel made it 6-4.

 

As for the Golden Knights' defensive approach, the Oilers entered the semifinal round second in the NHL with 34.1 shots per game and had 27 on Wednesday night.

 

Edmonton also leads the league in high-danger chances per 60 minutes and is fourth in high-danger goals per 60, according to Natural Stat Trick. Vegas held Edmonton to just eight high-danger chances, with seven of them coming in the third period.

 

"It's no surprise to anyone that on any given night that either of those guys [Draisaitl or Connor McDavid] -- and they got more than just those two guys, and that's no disrespect to them," Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud said. "They've got guys up and down the lineup that can contribute in those facets. But as a five-man group and as a team, you have to focus your energy on the things they do well and the personnel they have on the ice at the time. ... Four goals, but you got to do your best to try and limit that."

 

[Brewin Flames]

 

[Math]

Draisaitl pavelskied it. 

[OccamsRazor]

On 5/4/2023 at 8:25 AM, Math said:

Draisaitl pavelskied it. 

 

6 more goals and Leon ties Reggie Leach's playoff record....

[Brewin Flames]

Marchessault, Eichel lead Vegas to 5-1 win over Oilers

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) The Vegas Golden Knights are used to shuffling goaltenders. When starter Laurent Brossoit had to leave with an injury early in their latest game, Adin Hill came in and led them to a win.

Jonathan Marchessault scored his first two goals of the playoffs, Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist, and the Golden Knights beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 on Monday night for a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Zach Whitecloud and Chandler Stephenson also scored for Vegas. Brossoit appeared to injure his left leg sliding across the crease and left the game in pain at 11:44 of the first period after turning away three of four shots. Hill stopped all 25 shots he saw in relief.

The Golden Knights started five different goaltenders in the regular season because of injuries before settling on Brossoit as their playoff starter.

"We've used a lot of different guys at this position. They've all played well," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. "That's the good part for us. We know the guy going in there is going to make some timely saves. We don't rely on him to win games for us. It might have to happen here or there, but in general we have tried to play well in front of our goaltender no matter who is in there."

Warren Foegele scored the first goal of the game for Edmonton before the Golden Knights countered with five. Stuart Skinner was pulled in the second period after giving up four goals on 23 shots. Jack Campbell replaced him and made nine saves.

The Golden Knights took the series opener 6-4 before falling 5-1 at home on Saturday night.

"Forty-eight hours ago, we played a game we really liked," McDavid said. "Forty-eight hours later, we're here talking about not a very good one. So, our game is not gone, it's not far - we need to bring our best Game 4."

Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is here Wednesday night, followed by Game 5 on Friday night at Las Vegas.

Skinner was removed from Game 4 of Edmonton's first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings and the Oilers overcame a three-goal deficit to win in overtime with Campbell in net, but there was no similar comeback this time.

Vegas wanted more puck possession in Game 3 and got it. The Golden Knights scored the majority of their goals getting inside defenders and striking from the edge of the crease.

"I just didn't think we were sharp," Edmonton head coach Jay Woodcroft said. "I don't think we skated well. I don't think our battle level was where it needed to be. ... Our team wasn't good in any area tonight."

Vegas vowed to spend more time playing even-strength, and not give Edmonton's vaunted power play running at 56 per cent the minutes it had in Game 2. The Oilers went 0-for-2 with a man advantage in the game, while Vegas was 0 for 4.

"Everyone knows how great their power-play is and it's important to play as much five-on-five as we can," Eichel said.

Edmonton center Leon Draisaitl, who came in with 13 goals and four assists in eight playoff games coming in, was held off the scoresheet for the first time Oilers captain Connor McDavid also didn't record a point for the first time since the series opener against L.A.

They led 2-1 and outshot the Oilers 15-7 after 20 minutes, and then scored three more goals in the second period.

Vegas took a 3-1 lead at 7:25 when Whitecloud skated to the faceoff circle to Skinner's left and wired a shot over the Edmonton goalie's glove.

Eichel beat Skinner far side with a wrist shot at 12:03, after Edmonton's Evan Bouchard fell in the neutral zone to give Eichel a lane. That gave the Golden Knights a three-goal lead and ended Skinner's night.

The Oilers got a goal overturned for goaltender interference, but Vegas struck again within 20 seconds of that challenge when Nicolas Roy charged in from the wing and Stephenson converted the rebound at 17:13.

Edmonton scored off the rush 2:45 into the game when Foegele redirected Derek Ryan's pass upstairs on Brossoit.

Eichel and Marchessault combined at 4:44 to even the score 1-1. Eichel gloved a pop fly and dropped the puck beside the crease. In the ensuing flurry, Marchessault wrapped the puck around Skinner's left pad.

Marchessault scored again with 51 seconds left to put Vegas ahead for good. Eichel carried the puck to the side of the crease and backhanded a pass to the slot for Marchessault to bury.

Oilers forward Zach Hyman was played just a few shifts after his leg collided with Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague's at 6:36.

BETWEEN THE PIPES

Vegas acquired 37-year-old veteran Jonathan Quick at the trade deadline, so he would shift into a backup role behind Hill if Brossoit's injury is long term, Cassidy said.

ROAD WARRIORS

The Golden Knights had one of the best road records in the NHL this season at 26-7-8. They're now 3-0 away from home in the postseason.

"We might play better on the road," Cassidy said. "First of all, we're a veteran group so noise or a hostile crowd doesn't bother us. I think we're a four-line hockey team and on the road, you don't have last change as a coach. You have to trust whoever is going on the ice."

[OccamsRazor]

Great job ESPN not the way you want to make headlines...

 

 

[pilldoc]

30 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

Great job ESPN not the way you want to make headlines...

 

 

 

Bunch of idiots and buffoons ...... SMH

[JR Ewing]

 

Them's the rules.

 

[Math]

Waiting for Pietrangelo's suspension as well.

[Brewin Flames]

33 minutes ago, Math said:

Waiting for Pietrangelo's suspension as well.

 

 

Went full Lumberjack....

[JR Ewing]

Interesting

 

 

[JR Ewing]

 

Just so we have it clear... A clear and deliberate attempt to injure a player is worthy of the same suspension as a guy getting a penalty for instigating a fight that the other guy repeatedly asked for. What a league.

 

[Math]

It's the playoffs, so it's a 1-game suspension unless you actually kill your opponent...

 

Besides that, Sam Bennett probably won't get any suspension for sucker-punching McCabe several just after the final whistle. And that comes with the problem of players not getting any real penalty for actions when the game's over, except a fine.

 

IMO penalties given when a game's over should be enforced at the very beginning of the next game. Because right now nobody cares if you get a minor, a major, a misconduct or whatsoever at the end of the game.