Several had already buried Edmonton’s Oilers after two defeats against the Kings of Los Angeles. We chased goalkeeper Stuart Skinner, with his average of 6.11 and his stop rate, 810 after these two games, and Edmonton won four consecutive games with Calvin Pickard, 33 years old, already in his sixth team in the NHL, never holder, except once by default in Colorado in 2017.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
But the Oilers, you will no doubt have understood, will not beat the Golden Knights of Vegas because of their defensive efficiency. They finished in the front row in the first round with 4.50 goals scored per game, and in the penultimate for the goals granted, 4.00, in front of the poor Kings precisely.
Edmonton should not get any reinforcement in the second round either; Head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed that he was not expecting the return of his best defensive defender, Mattias Ekholm, against the Golden Knights.
Vegas, winner in six games at the expense of the Minnesota Wild, has no weakness. The Golden Knights have just had a second season of 110 points or more in three years. The main members of this nucleus won the Stanley Cup in 2023. Its best players are in age.
The Golden Knights will have to avoid punishment and thus not have to defend themselves against the Oilers and their efficiency rate of almost 39 % in numerical superiority, one of their rare assets.
Players to follow
Vegas
PHOTO MARK HUMPHREY, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jack Eichel
Tomas Hertl was the best counter of his team in the first round, with five points, including three goals, but Jack Eichel is used excessively, 22 min 16 s per match on average.
-Edmonton
PHOTO GARY A. VASQUEZ, ARCHIVES IMAGN IMAGES
Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid, who else, obtained 11 points in 6 games against the Kings.
Players under the radar
Vegas
PHOTO DAVID BECKER, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brett Howden
Brett Howden, a support player, scored three goals in six games in the first round, in the center of the fourth trio.
Edmonton
PHOTO JEFF CHIU, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brett ear
In the absence of Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak played more than 24 minutes by meeting in the first round. He must have his use, he allowed the Canadian to recover Lane Hutson!
