The Vegas Golden Knights are heading back to the Western Conference final, led by Jonathan Marchessault’s second career postseason hat trick in a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 on Sunday night. This marks the fourth time in the franchise’s six-year history that Vegas has reached the semifinals.
“We’re only halfway to our goal,” Marchessault said. “Tonight was just one step, but we’re focused on winning the ultimate prize.”
Reilly Smith and William Karlsson also scored for the Golden Knights, with Ivan Barbashev adding two assists. Goalie Adin Hill made 39 saves in his third career playoff start, helping Vegas advance.
“I’ve worked hard to get here,” said Hill. “Being part of such a talented team with a real chance to win it all is exciting.”
Vegas will face Dallas or Seattle in the next round, as their series goes to Game 7 on Monday.
The Golden Knights still feature several players from their inaugural 2017-18 team that reached the Stanley Cup Final.
“We’ve been through a lot as a group, and we don’t panic,” said Marchessault. “That experience helps, and it’ll be important moving forward.”
Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Warren Foegele scored early in the first period, giving the Oilers a 2-1 lead within the first three minutes. Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner allowed four goals on 17 shots before being replaced by Jack Campbell, who stopped all four shots he faced in the third period.
Edmonton’s loss, which prevented it from reaching a second straight conference final, was tough to swallow.
“It hurts,” said Leon Draisaitl. “You start the season to win it all, and falling short feels like a failure.”
The Oilers’ defeat extends Canada’s Stanley Cup drought to 30 years. The last Canadian team to win was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.
Marchessault tied the game at 2-2 at 4:26 of the second period, capitalizing on a redirected puck in front of the net. He followed that up by putting Vegas ahead at 7:44, tapping in a loose puck after a deflected shot by Alec Martinez.
Marchessault completed his hat trick late in the second period, scoring on a 4-on-4 play with a wrist shot from a feed by Alex Pietrangelo. It was crucial as Vegas entered the final period with a 4-2 lead.
Despite reuniting McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line to generate more offense, Edmonton couldn’t get past Hill, with McDavid hitting the post during a third-period push. The Oilers pulled Campbell for an extra attacker with over three minutes remaining, but Hill and the Golden Knights held firm, and Karlsson sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
“Their third period was clinical,” McDavid said. “We had chances but couldn’t capitalize.”
Edmonton’s potent power play dominated earlier in the series and was held scoreless in its lone opportunity. The Oilers, the NHL’s top regular-season scoring team, managed only 10 goals in the last four games, with Vegas outscoring them 17-10 at even strength.
“Our 5-on-5 play has been strong all year,” Marchessault said. “We were down in several games this series, but we kept battling back.”
Vegas opened the scoring 24 seconds into the game when Smith capitalized on an Edmonton turnover. McDavid responded 31 seconds later, quickly tying the game. Foegele gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead at 2:43, but the Knights bounced back in the second period to take control.
KEY PLAYERS RETURN
Both teams welcomed back key defensemen—Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse and Vegas’s Alex Pietrangelo—after serving one-game suspensions in Game 5.