Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft, when asked about the impact of an extra day off on the road, confidently stated, “Whether we’re home, away, or in Hudson Bay, it doesn’t matter to us where we play — we are one of the top road teams in the National Hockey League.”
And his team proved him right.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid scored twice, leading the Oilers to a 5-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, tying their Western Conference semifinal series at one game apiece.
“I liked our start. We asserted ourselves right off the bat and played the game at the pace we wanted,” Woodcroft said post-game. “We managed pucks well and played the game on our terms.”
This starkly contrasted Game 1 on Wednesday, where Vegas dictated the pace and won 6-4.
Game 3 will be Monday in Edmonton. The Oilers had a strong regular season, with a 23-12-6 record.
“We played a lot faster and more connected,” McDavid said, who is on a seven-game point streak with five goals and 10 assists.
Draisaitl, who scored four goals in the first game, has now tallied at least one point in the first eight games of the postseason, amassing 17 points (13 goals, 4 assists).
Evan Bouchard scored for the Oilers, while rookie goaltender Stuart Skinner made 30 saves.
“Our defensive emphasis showed, and Stuart was excellent when called upon,” Woodcroft added.
Ivan Barbashev scored the lone goal for the Golden Knights, ruining Skinner’s shutout bid early in the third period.
Vegas goaltender Laurent Brossoit stopped 27 of 32 shots before being pulled after two periods. Adin Hill finished the game, making four saves in the third period.
Edmonton struck early on a power play, with Draisaitl scoring his 12th postseason goal to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead.
Bouchard made it 2-0 with a blast from the blue line during another power play seven minutes into the game.
McDavid extended the lead to 3-0 with a shorthanded breakaway goal, and Draisaitl added his second of the game to put Edmonton up 4-0, leaving the Oilers with more goals than Vegas had shots on goal (3) at that point.
Vegas ended the first period with just four shots on goal, compared to Edmonton’s 19.
McDavid scored again early in the second period on another power play, making it 5-0.
“They were a lot better than us; they were ready to play,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy admitted. “We weren’t, and that falls on the coach to prepare your team.”
RECORD-SETTING DAYSAIL
Draisaitl became the second player in NHL history to score 12 or more goals through his first eight games in a single postseason, following Newsy Lalonde (15) with the Canadiens in 1919. He also joined Frederick Taylor (9) with the Vancouver Millionaires in 1918 as the only player to score eight or more goals through their first five road games in a postseason.
EDMONTON POWER
After going 3 for 6 on Saturday, the Oilers’ power play is now 14 for 25 in the postseason, leading all playoff teams with a 56% success rate.
ROAD WARRIORS
Road teams have improved to 35-23 overall this postseason. The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs matched the total from 2022 when visitors finished 35-54.