In a thrilling overtime finish in Las Vegas on Thursday night, Leon Draisaitl scored the winning goal at 15:20 of the extra period, assisted by Connor McDavid, to give the Edmonton Oilers a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
This hard-fought win extends the Oilers` advantage to a commanding 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series. Edmonton secured the win shortly after they were unable to convert on a lengthy five-minute power play earlier in overtime, which resulted from a major penalty assessed to Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Roy for cross-checking.
Contributing to the Oilers` scoring effort were Vasily Podkolzin, Jake Walman, Darnell Nurse, and Evander Kane, who each found the back of the net. Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also played key roles, each tallying two assists in the game. Oilers goaltender Calvin Pickard made 28 saves, successfully continuing after appearing shaken up during the third period when Vegas` Tomas Hertl fell on his leg.
For the Golden Knights, Victor Olofsson was a significant offensive contributor, scoring two power-play goals and adding an assist. Alex Pietrangelo recorded a goal and an assist, while William Karlsson also scored. Jack Eichel had a strong game with three assists, and Mark Stone contributed two assists, with both players extending their personal points streaks to five consecutive games. Vegas netminder Adin Hill stopped 33 shots in the loss.
The series will now move to Edmonton for Game 3, scheduled for Saturday night.
Tristan Blackwood