Leon Draisaitl broke through in dramatic fashion Thursday night, scoring at 15:20 of overtime off a feed from Connor McDavid to give the Edmonton Oilers a 5-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights and a commanding 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.
The star tandem had been quiet most of the night. Still, McDavid’s dazzling setup on the game-winner ignited the Oilers’ celebration and left the Golden Knights furious over a missed penalty just moments earlier.
The winning goal came shortly after Edmonton failed to convert on a five-minute power play following a major penalty to Vegas’ Nicolas Roy for cross-checking early in overtime. But when McDavid found Draisaitl in stride on a rush, the Oilers’ superstars delivered when it mattered most.
“Connor made an unreal play,” Draisaitl said. “With a pass like that, it’s hard not to score.”
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy was irate postgame, arguing that Viktor Arvidsson should’ve been penalized for tripping defenseman Brayden McNabb just before the deciding goal. McNabb left the game after crashing into the boards.
“They’re looking right at it,” Cassidy said of the officiating. “It’s a dangerous play. We should’ve had a power play.”
Game Highlights:
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Oilers Scoring: Vasily Podkolzin, Jake Walman, Darnell Nurse, and Evander Kane all found the back of the net. Arvidsson and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins contributed two assists each. Goalie Calvin Pickard made 28 saves, despite a scare in the third period when Tomas Hertl fell on his leg.
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Golden Knights Scoring: Victor Olofsson scored twice on the power play and added an assist. Returning from illness, Alex Pietrangelo scored and assisted, while William Karlsson chipped in with a goal. Jack Eichel notched three assists, and Mark Stone extended his point streak to five games.
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Goalie Stats: Adin Hill stopped 33 shots for Vegas.
Evander Kane gave Edmonton a 4-2 lead early in the third before Olofsson responded with his second goal. Pietrangelo tied it 4-4 with a blast from the point at 8:02. The Golden Knights scored in the first period and held a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes before Edmonton stormed back with three goals in the second.
Despite trailing 1-0 after the opening frame, the Oilers now have an NHL record of six straight comeback wins in a single postseason.
Notable Streaks & Stats:
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Vegas’ 42-game playoff win streak was snapped when scoring at least three goals. That was the second-longest run in league history behind Montreal’s 52-game streak from 1945 to 1957.
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Edmonton’s Game 3 victory streak continues as the series heads to Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday night.
Up Next:
Game 3 is set for Saturday night in Edmonton as the Golden Knights try to avoid falling into a 3-0 series hole.
