It’s on to the next round for the Edmonton Oilers after dominating the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round.
Edmonton came out on top of a nerve-racking Game 5 on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Kasperi Kapanen lighting the lamp and ending the Golden Knights’ season in overtime. The 1-0 Oilers win was also Edmonton’s second shutout victory in a row as netminder Stuart Skinner continued to prove his mettle between the pipes.
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It has been a long road back to the Western Conference final for the Oilers, but here they are again, just a series win away from another Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Following their series-clinching triumph over the Golden Knights, the Oilers got a nice shoutout from the NHL.
“OILERS ADVANCE! OILERS ADVANCE! 🟠🔵 The @EdmontonOilers are heading to their third Western Conference Final in four years. #StanleyCup,” the NHL wrote in a post on X.
In 2024, the Oilers reached the Western Conference final, where they edged the Dallas Stars in six games before losing to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
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It could end up being a rematch of last year’s Western Conference final, as the Stars are just a win away from joining the Oilers in the third round of the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.
It is also possible that the Oilers and the Panthers meet again in the Stanley Cup Final, as Matthew Tkachuk and company are also still alive in the postseason.
Oilers right wing Kasperi Kapanen (right) digs the puck out from under the skate of Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill and puts it into the net 7:19 into overtime of Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Oilers’ 1-0 win eliminated the Knights from the playoffs.Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
The Oilers are looking to end their Stanley Cup drought, as they last won the ultimate prize in the NHL back in 1990, when Mark Messier led Edmonton past the Boston Bruins in five games.
Edmonton is also bidding to end Canada’s 32-year Stanley Cup drought. The last Canadian team to hoist the Cup was the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.
Related: Connor McDavid’s Wife Posts Bikini Selfie Before Oilers-Golden Knights Game 5