LAS VEGAS — The Edmonton Oilers weren’t perfect through their first two games of their second-round series, but they were closer to it than the other guys.
The Oilers have taken a 2-0 advantage home in their matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights because they’ve had a clear advantage in a few key areas.
There are still areas of improvement to be had.
They’re losing the special-teams battle, unable to capitalize on five power plays, including a five-minute major in overtime, and they’ve allowed three goals on seven chances while short-handed.
Meanwhile, superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have played “pretty well,” according to coach Kris Knoblauch, and connected on the winning goal in Game 2, but they haven’t popped yet. The Oilers could be downright scary if — probably more like when — that happens.
They say not to critique the wins at this time of year. So, instead, let’s focus on what the Oilers have done well.
Here are three reasons they’re in the driver’s seat as the series shifts to Edmonton.
1. Their depth is shining through
The Golden Knights beat the Oilers in six games the last time these two teams faced off in the 2023 playoffs, and their depth was one of the biggest reasons.
The Oilers relied too heavily on their top forwards, whereas the bottom six were just soaking up a few minutes here and there to give the stars a breather. Sometimes, it was even a bottom-five, given former coach Jay Woodcroft’s propensity for using 11 forwards and seven defencemen. The Golden Knights were comfortable rolling four useful lines. They benefited from that.
The tables have turned in a big way.
The Oilers scored nine goals over the first two games, and the offensive production has been spread out nicely. The top line of McDavid, Draisaitl and Corey Perry has accounted for three goals. The second line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and Evander Kane has produced two. The third trio of Adam Henrique, Connor Brown and Trent Frederic has chipped in with one. Finally, the fourth threesome of Mattias Janmark, Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson has factored into two.
Defenceman Darnell Nurse scored at four-on-four in Game 2.
DARNELL NURSE HAS ARRIVED IN VEGAS 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/cneXqthXC9
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2025
All 12 of those forwards have a goal in the playoffs, a great omen considering the Oilers have played just eight games. The Oilers have found some cohesion up front. They’ve used the same lines, with minimal tinkering, for more than four games. That consistency has been rare since Knoblauch became coach, and it certainly wasn’t the case down the stretch because of injuries.
Lines are bound to change, but the Oilers have found groupings that work.
2. They’re winning the goaltending matchup
Calvin Pickard went from looking a bit shaky and allowing an iffy goal in a 4-2 win in Game 1, as colleague Mark Lazerus wrote, to being one of the Oilers’ best players in Game 2. That’s despite twice as many pucks getting past him, too.
Pickard only made 28 saves, but a few were outstanding, including stopping Tanner Pearson on a second-period breakaway and shutting the door early in overtime.
“It’s not too often after a goalie lets in four goals that you’re raving about how well he played,” Knoblauch said. “He stole one for us.”
CALVIN.
PICKARD. pic.twitter.com/yRfNxuLFRA— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2025
Pickard has a modest .878 save percentage through the first two games, but he’s unquestionably been the best goalie in this series. As colleague Jesse Granger wrote, he’s outplaying counterpart Adin Hill, something few would have seen coming given Hill’s status as a Stanley Cup champion and Team Canada member at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Pucks have been getting past Hill in odd and unspectacular ways.
Draisaitl’s goal to tie Game 1 showcased his skill and creativity, but he still banked a shot off Hill from a bad angle. Neither Hyman’s winner nor Brown’s insurance marker was a perfectly placed rocket.
In Game 2, Podkolzin and Nurse beat him from distance on unscreened shots.
The Oilers deserve their share of credit for their offensive punch. Their first goal by Perry showcased some beautiful passing from McDavid and Draisaitl before Perry carefully outwaited Hill in front. Their most recent marker, Draisaitl’s overtime winner, was the result of McDavid, well, doing McDavid things.
The Oilers have gotten some help from Hill, though, too. And that’s all while Pickard’s outperformed him at the other end.
3. Their defencemen have excelled
Two years ago, the Oilers struggled in this regard. The pairing of Nurse and Cody Ceci was caved in, and they were decisively outscored at five-on-five. Nurse’s suspension for Game 5 still set them back. Other times, they used seven blueliners and were discombobulated.
There have been a few issues through two games. Though there were a couple of instances where the Vegas forecheck forced turnovers in Game 2, the Oilers have avoided unnecessary trouble by breaking the puck out cleanly and crisply to the forwards. Evan Bouchard, John Klingberg and Jake Walman have led the charge, save for a poor giveaway from Walman in Game 1 that led to an unsuccessful Golden Knights two-on-one.
They’re doing it all without Mattias Ekholm, their top all-around defenceman, who hasn’t played in the postseason because of a lower-body injury and has been ruled out for this season. His absence is huge, but the Oilers are managing just fine without him.
“We know what we have in the room,” Walman said. “With our D, we can roll all of us and any matchup we can play in. It’s working well. Anybody can play with anybody on our D corps. We’re building something pretty good.
“The more we can play hard in the D zone and get it up to these guys up front, that’s the recipe to success for us.”
Their transition from surviving sans Ekholm for good chunks of the Los Angeles series to thriving in his absence is particularly notable given what’s been happening with their opponents.
The Golden Knights were missing top defenceman Alex Pietrangelo for Game 1 because of illness and the Oilers took advantage. They dominated that contest.
Pietrangelo returned for Game 2, and, though he scored the tying goal in the third period, he made a ghastly turnover in overtime to Hyman, who in the crossbar. Pietrangelo then couldn’t intercept McDavid’s pass to Draisaitl on the winning goal.
To make matters worse for the Golden Knights, top defender Brayden McNabb crashed heavily into the boards and didn’t return after an uncalled trip by Arvidsson in the fourth period on Thursday. It didn’t look good. If he misses any more action, it would be a blow to Vegas.
The Oilers have had the benefit of using the same six blueliners in both games, but one of them isn’t Ekholm. They’ve managed personnel losses and changes better, and it’s shown in the overall results.
(Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie / Imagn Images)