The Edmonton Oilers are off to the Western Conference Final after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 1-0 in Game 5 of their 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs second round series at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday (May 14).
Kasperi Kapanen scored the winning goal at 7:19 of overtime, lifting the Oilers to a 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven series. Edmonton netminder Stuart Skinner stopped all 24 shots he faced to record his second consecutive shutout.
After falling behind the Los Angeles Kings by a count of 2-0 in Round 1, the Oilers have won eight of their last nine games. Edmonton is the first team in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs to book its ticket to the conference final round.
Skinner Is a Winner
From being at the centre of the most dubious finish ever to an Oilers playoff game on Saturday (May 10) when Vegas won 4-3 on a last-second goal, to going more than two games without allowing a goal, Skinner has completely flipped his script in the space of four days.
Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oilers (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Including his 23-save performance in Edmonton’s 3-0 victory over the Golden Knights in Game 4 on Monday (May 12), Skinner has now played 127:19 since being scored on. He joins Curtis Joseph and Cam Talbot as the only goalies in franchise history with back-to-back shutouts in the postseason.
It’s a remarkable turnaround from Skinner, who had a record of 0-3 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 5.62 and save percentage (SV%) of .817 over his first three appearances this postseason. With his fellow netminder Calvin Pickard sidelined by injury, the Oilers needed Skinner to rise to the occasion, and the 26-year-old has more than delivered.
Defence Locks it Down
A lot of credit goes to Edmonton’s defensive play, which has also seen a dramatic turnaround as the postseason progresses.
The Oilers won their first round series against Los Angeles in spite of their defence, not because of it: The Kings scored 24 times in six games, which is the most goals Edmonton has allowed in a single postseason series since 1989. Â
From breakdowns to misreads, there were a number of factors contributing to that ghastly goal total, but nothing that couldn’t be corrected. And that’s exactly what the Oilers have done.
Related:Â 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Hub
Evan Bouchard is the poster child for Edmonton’s improved defending. While he didn’t have a single goal against Vegas compared to scoring four times in Round 1, Bouchard arguably had a far superior series in the second round because he played almost mistake-free hockey.
Against Los Angeles, Bouchard was probably as guilty of as many goals ending up in his own net as he was to credit for pucks finding the back of the Kings’ cage. Against the Golden Knights, his play was an overwhelmingly net positive, as evidenced by his team-leading rating of plus-7 for the series.
Penalty-killing was also a major issue for the Oilers earlier in the playoffs, but Edmonton now hasn’t allowed a power-play goal since Game 2 against the Golden Knights. A major reason for that is Edmonton’s increased discipline: Vegas had just six opportunities with the man advantage over the last three games, including only one on Wednesday.
Another Game, Another Hero
Game after game against Vegas, Oil Country has fully expected an offensive explosion from Oilers superstars Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. Round 2 is now over, and Edmonton fans are still waiting.
In a testament to the Oilers’ depth, Edmonton managed to win the series, and do so in only five games, despite getting a lot less production than normal from its Dynamic Duo.
Going back to Round 1, Draisaitl and McDavid have combined for just 11 points, including only two goals, in Edmonton’s last six victories. McDavid didn’t have a point on Wednesday, while Draisaitl assisted on the winning goal from Kapanen, who became just the latest player to step up for Edmonton this spring.
Kapanen’s goal was his first since Jan. 23. The Finnish forward hadn’t even been part of Edmonton’s playoff lineup before suiting up for his first appearance this postseason in Game 4 on Monday. Two nights later, he became just the seventh player in Edmonton’s NHL history to score a series-clinching goal in sudden death.
Eleven different players scored for Edmonton over the five games against Vegas, with none scoring more than twice. Through 10 games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, 16 Oilers have scored at least once. From Connor Brown to Mattias Janmark to Corey Perry to Adam Henrique, who had two goals in Game 4, and now Kapanen, the list of unlikely heroes just keeps growing.
The fact that Edmonton is red-hot while its best players are in a mini-slump is a scary thought for the Oilers’ Western Conference Final opponents, who will likely have to contend with the reawakening of Draisaitl and McDavid.
As for the identity of said opposition, that remains to be determined. The Oilers will face the winner of the second round series between the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets, which Dallas leads 3-1 with Game 5 taking place at Canada Life Centre tonight.
