Well it was a good run while it lasted. Vegas lost to the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 2-1. The Golden Knights had a great stretch of games, dating back to the November 18th game against the Oilers. They won six out of seven and five in a row coming into Saturday night's match up with the Oilers, for the last game in their three-game road trip.
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Arguably the best player in the league, Connor McDavid made his mark early on in this one, scoring a highlight reel type goal. After the Oilers won a board battle behind their own net, McDavid broke down the middle of the ice. He received a lob pass from Leon Draisaitl that Vegas defenseman Nate Schmidt misplayed and allowed to get past him. As McDavid broke toward the Vegas blue line, he displayed his slick skating and caught Brayden McNabb flat-footed. He then shielded a recovering McNabb off as he glided toward Marc-Andre Fleury. McDavid slid past Fleury, but drug the puck back and flipped it over Fleury on the short side for his 14th goal of the season. It was a great display of smooth skating, hockey IQ, and flat out talent by McDavid.
Edmonton would go on to outshoot the Golden Knights in the first period by an 18-14 margin, backed by two unsuccessful power plays without taking a penalty in the first 20 minutes. It was definitely a period McNabb would like to forget, allowing the McDavid goal and taking a penalty in the final minute of the period. To Vegas' benefit, Fleury made a handful of big saves to keep the Oiler lead at one heading into the locker room.
Much like the first period for Edmonton, Vegas would score the only goal and go on the only two power plays of the second period, not including the minute of power play Edmonton carried over from the first. William Karlsson picked up the only goal, in a relatively low-event second period, evidenced by a 7-6 shot edge for the Oil. His ninth goal of the season came just after the midway point of the second period. The play started with a good outlet pass up the boards by McNabb to a streaking Jonathan Marchessault. Marchessault corralled the pass as he approached the Oiler zone. Marchessault hit the breaks hard at the faceoff circle, creating space for a pass. His pass attempt to Reilly Smith was broken up, but ended up on the stick of Karlsson who made a very quick shot past the pads of Mikko Koskinen. The play was reminiscent of that line's success last season, where Karlsson benefited from the forecheck and puck control of Marchessault and Smith.
Heading into the third period tied at one goal apiece, both teams showed significant push. The energy was up and both teams were working hard for the go-ahead goal. Edmonton would eventually take the lead 5:50 into the period. Ryan Spooner, a recent addition from the New York Rangers, notched the eventual game-winning goal for the Oilers. Vegas center Cody Eakin was pressured behind Fleury's net by two Oiler defensemen. As Eakin got to the opposite corner, he finally lost the puck, and Jujhar Khaira flung a centering pass to Spooner in the slot. Spooner one-timed it past Fleury, scooping up the most important goal of the contest.
Vegas would go on to get a great chance to tie the game, going on the power play after a Draisaitl cross check on Smith with 8:28 left in the game. Unfortunately, Vegas defenseman Colin Miller picked up a penalty of his own just 1:02 into the power play, effectively ending the man-advantage and Vegas' chances of evening up the score.
Vegas' win streak came to an end at a season-best five games. Ever since Ken Hitchcock took over as the Oilers' head coach, they have played a much more responsible team game and relied on their high end talent to secure a lead. Backed by the surprising performance of Koskinen in goal, the Oilers are beginning to look like the team that placed 2nd in the Pacific Division with 103 points in the 2016-17 season.
Coming back home on Tuesday night, the Golden Knights will have their work cut out for them, taking on a familiar foe, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals. The Capitals have been effective on the power play against Vegas, so look for that to be an area of focus for the Golden Knights leading up to the game. Washington has a knack for exploiting Vegas' backside defense on the penalty kill, which is where sniper Alex Ovechkin makes his money.
Tuesday's game is scheduled for a 7pm start in the T-Mobile Arena. If you are staying home, tune in on AT&T Sportnet or on Fox Sports 98.9FM if you're on the go. As always, I recommend tuning in for the pregame show with Ryan the Hockey Guy, a half hour before the game.
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