What happens in Vegas also happens in Edmonton.

It happens everywhere. Rogers Place. T-Mobile Arena. Regular season. Playoffs. With Leon Draisaitl and without. No matter where the Oilers and Golden Knights meet, the result is always the same — the Golden Knights end up stumbling out of the building like the guy who just took a bad beat at the poker table.

And so it was again that the Oilers continued their domination over Vegas, breaking their hearts 4-3 in overtime to improve to 9-1 in their last 10 meetings, including that five-game post-season walkover last spring.

“We’re looking more like we’re playing a playoff game, like things matter,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch, who can see a team coming into form at the right time. “We’re paying attention to detail, we’re simplifying our game. It’s nice to see. The games are so important right now that everyone seems like they’re dialled in and know the urgency to play right.”

A clutch win on a big stage that came when it mattered. Mark this one down: If the Oilers manage to turn their fortunes around this season and go on that long playoff run they’ve been promising themselves, the resurrection will have taken place on this trip.

It’s not just that they took Utah down 5-2 and humbled Vegas again, it’s how they did it. Instead of desperation and an improbable third-period rally, these wins were the kind of repeatable, workmanlike efforts they’ve seen searching for all year.

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“It’s a great road trip, two massive wins against two potential playoff opponents,” said Oilers winger Zach Hyman, who scored his 30th of the season. “I thought we played well defensively. Everybody contributed, which is so important at this time of year, everybody feels a part of it. We were rolling the lines, everything went well. It was a huge road trip.”

It moves the Oilers two points clear of the third place Golden Knights and five points behind first place Anaheim in the Pacific Division race.

Things might be coming together here.

“We have to string more wins together before we start to pipe ourselves up,” said Hyman. “Every year everybody doubts what we can do, but we have the team that when we commit to playing the right way, it’s hard to score against.

“It’s hard to play against a team that defends and on the other side we have guys who can break a game open.”

And the three most important players in the win won’t even get on the scoresheet, but Connor Murphy, Darnell Nurse and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were monsters on a Vegas power play in overtime. Without their yeoman effort, this game ends another way.

“That’s just three guys getting it done,” said goaltender Connor Ingram, who was also a pillar in the win. “Nose down, going to work. Those guys were out there for two full minutes. That was an incredible effort from them.

“That’s something you can’t coach, you can’t teach, that’s just three vets who know how to go to work and get the job done.”

This wasn’t the suffocating style they used to beat Utah on Tuesday. It was a slugfest more than a chess match — Matt Savoie made it 1-0, Vegas tied it. Connor McDavid made it 2-1, Vegas tied it. Hyman made it 3-2, Vegas tied it — but the Oilers were tight enough to win. And when they did break down, Ingram was rock solid again in net.

“Those big saves are game changers,” said Hyman. “Often times they are the difference between winning and losing and he made a couple of them.”

Then, after the massive penalty kill in overtime, Evan Bouchard ripped one over Aiden Hill’s shoulder from about 15 feet inside the blue line. Great shot if you’re an Oilers fan, Hill should have had it if you’re cheering for Vegas. Either way, it’s Bouchard’s 20th of the season and he joins Paul Coffey, Sheldon Souray and Charlie Huddy as the only other Oilers defencemen to reach that number.

And suddenly, as if on cue with the playoffs in sight, the Oilers are playing post-season hockey, with designs in winning three games in a row for just the second time this season when Anaheim visits Saturday afternoon.

“The last two games have both been really good,” said Ingram. “We found a way to play that’s given us success and now it’s just not being stubborn and sticking with it. Playing simple.

“We’re a good enough hockey club that we’re going to get our chances. As long as we don’t give them any we’re going to be fine.”

BARGAIN FINDER

Hyman, otherwise known as the absolute best value in hockey hit 30 goals (in his 54th game) to reach that mark for the third time in the last four seasons. This is his fifth year in Edmonton and he’s notched 174 goals (an average of 34.8 goals a years) in that span. Throw in another 35 goals in four playoff seasons.

All this for $5.5 million on a seven-year deal with two years after this left to go.

In six years with the Toronto Maple Leafs his highest total was just 21 and they let him walk as a free agent.

E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com

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