(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
Back in 2023 the Golden Knights broke the Oilers confidence in six games. Vegas lead the Second Round series for 157 minutes and shattered the dreams of an extremely hungry Edmonton lineup. Vegas gained control of that series from the opening puck drop. Last night, for more than a period it felt like history was going to repeat itself.
That’s part of having a mature, older group. I don’t know where we rank in playoff games, I assume we’re very high among the NHL teams. We’re the oldest team. Those players have seen a lot. A lot of good things, a lot of bad things. They know in the playoffs things fluctuate. There’s a lot of things that can stress out the team, and no matter what happens we handle it really well. Tonight’s an excellent example. We played a really good 2nd period with nothing to show. There was no panic and we came out in the third and continued business. – Kris Knoblauch, Oilers coach
After their three unanswered 3rd period goal victory, the even-keeled Oilers acted as if they were the team that took the early lead. A two-goal deficit didn’t faze them before, during, or after Edmonton’s 4-2 Game 1 victory. Sure, fans are accustomed to the Oilers casually erasing multi-goal leads but never would they believe that it would occur against a structurally sound playoff team like the Golden Knights. In fact, at T-Mobile Arena, the Golden Knights had won 26 straight playoff games with a multi-goal lead until last night.
During the opening period of Game 1, Oilers coach Kris Knoblach calmly told ESPN he was surprised his team hadn’t scored yet. Minutes later, they slowly began their comeback.
There’s no panic. We just came out in the 3rd and continued business. Yes, we’d like to get a better start, score the first goal and cruise from there. If you can pick a period that you’re going to be the strongest in, as a coach, you want to be the best in the 3rd period. Because that’s when it’s going to come down to it. -Knoblauch
The Oilers are the first team in NHL history to comeback to win five straight games, so their confidence is at an all-time high. It’s up to Vegas to end Edmonton’s erratic success by better protecting a multiple-goal lead. It’ll be difficult for the Oilers to keep up their success if they continue to start slow against the Golden Knights. Vegas has blown leads in the past but rarely do they allow multiple comebacks in a series.
We know they’re going to make adjustments. Hopefully, we can counter those and anticipate what they’re going to do. We saw a little changing of the lines as the game went on for them. -Knoblauch
In Game 5 of the 2023 series, Edmonton held a 2-1 edge going into the middle frame. The Golden Knights rattled off the next three goals, leaving the Oilers shellshocked. By the time Game 6’s puck dropped, Edmonton looked fragile and unsure of themselves. Back then, there were cracks in the armor.
We’re a patient group, we’re a veteran team. The guys here have been playing a lot of playoffs throughout the years, they know what it takes. Just stick to our game and take it game by game. -John Klingberg, EDM defenseman
Midway through last night’s Game 1, the Oilers made it clear that this won’t be the same type of series. It’s up to VGK to force their way back into the series and shatter the confidence Edmonton has built up. The Golden Knights have done it before, there’s no reason to believe they can’t do it again.
