Keys To The Series: Vegas Golden Knights Seeking Return Trip To Conference Finals

The good news is the Vegas Golden Knights are looking to return to the Western Conference Finals. The bad news is they must face the powerful Edmonton Oilers in the second round. We all know what that means. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will need to be controlled to limit scoring.

While that sounds like an excellent Vegas Golden Knights playoff plan, executing it will be vital if they intend to move on to the next round of the 2023 NHL Playoffs.

Vegas Golden Knights Playoff Goals to Advance to Next Round

Obviously playing a team like the Oilers you must attempt (and that’s even a huge job) to contain the McDavid/Draisaitl firepower. They run the offense with expert tenacity. Draisaitl has seven goals, four assists in six games, and McDavid has three goals, seven assists. What is a huge surprise so far is the play of Evan Bouchard. He has excelled with two goals, eight assists. So, add another player that the Golden Knights will need to control. But, besides these three players, no other player has more than four points. Not much supplemental scoring to speak about.

So, slowing down the Edmonton offense will be a priority for Vegas. They have scored 4.17 goals a game in the playoffs. Their weakness has always been defense. They allow 3.33 goals a game, so if the Golden Knights can use their defensive skills, they will have a shot at advancing. The Vegas offense has averaged 3.80 goals a game while allowing 2.80.

Leading Scorers for Vegas Need to Step up

Chandler Stephenson has had four goals, four assists in five games. Captain Mark Stone has three goals and five assists to help the Vegas scorers. That needs to continue if they wish to compete with the Oilers’ arsenal of offensive power. Jack Eichel has three goals and five points and William Karlsson has four goals, one assist.

While this series may not be defined by which team scores the most, it will be a factor. Special teams will play an important role also. The Oilers have nine power play goals with McDavid collecting two and Draisaitl tallying three. To effectively shut down the Edmonton club, the Vegas team needs to stay out of the penalty box.

Edmonton will kill you on the power play. In the payoffs, they have a 56.3 percent success rate. Vegas has a much lower 18.8 per cent rate on the man advantage. The speed of the Oilers (especially McDavid) almost forces a defender to do something which gets them penalized.

Let’s face it, if your game plan is to outscore the Oilers, you will more than likely lose that battle. Vegas needs to rely on their defense and goaltending to win this series.

Goaltending Battle

When you compare the goalies, the Golden Knights have the statistical advantage. Laurent Brossoit has a 4-1 record with a .915 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average. The Oilers Stuart Skinner has a 3-2 record with a .890 SV% and a hefty 3.43 GAA.

So, the battle lines are set. Good offense vs better defense. Who wins that battle? We will soon find out as the two Pacific Division clubs will begin round 2 on Wednesday, May 3rd. The Golden Knights have the home-ice advantage which really hasn’t been that essential. The road teams have dominated in the 2023 NHL playoffs.

In the end, goaltending and defense usually win championships. This series may defy that concept. Will we see some 7-5, or 8-7 games in this series? Perhaps, and if that’s the case that gives the Oilers the advantage.

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Prediction

If one is to consider the head-to-head regular season results, then the Oilers may be the predicted victor. They went 3-0-1 against Vegas and that’s pretty decisive. That’s also quite irrelevant since the playoffs are an all new season.

So, who wins this series and moves on to the next round?

Edmonton in six games.