Edmonton Oilers<\/strong>
Leon Draisaitl 11 points
Connor McDavid 10 points
Evan Bouchard 10 points
Evander Kane 4 points
Klim Kostin 4 points<\/p>\nGolden Knights vs Oilers on Offense<\/h3>\n
Edmonton and Vegas tied for first place with 15 goals at 5-on-5 in the first round. However, the Knights elite offensive unit took one less game to get there.<\/p>\n
Smith, Theodore, Pietrangelo and Marchssault combined for zero goals in five games against the Jets and its safe to say one of them will score in Game 1.<\/p>\n
The Oilers power play converted at an insane 56.3% success rate in the first round. This could spell trouble for the Knights as their penalty kill had a horrendous 58.3% success rate against the Jets.<\/p>\n
Edmonton also led the way with 3.23 expected goals per game in the first-round while Vegas finished 4th at 2.76 expected goals per game.<\/p>\n
The top line of McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard is down right scary and if Kane, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Zach Hyman gets hot it will be a long series for Vegas.<\/p>\n
Golden Knights vs Oilers on Defense<\/h3>\n
Evan Bouchard and Cody Ceci both really struggled defensively in the first round against Winnipeg. Bouchard pulled his weight offensively but conceded more expected 5-on-5 goals than any other Oiler outside of Zach Hyman.<\/p>\n
Mattias Ekholm gives them great back-end depth but Darnell Nurse will need to anchor this group if Edmonton is going to contain an offense like the Golden Knights.<\/p>\n
Alex Pietrangelo is similar player to Bouchard in terms of overall impact but is a bit past his prime at age 33. However, the Knights are still happy to have the former Stanley Cup champion and Olympian as their #1 defender. Brayden McNabb looks ready to rejoin the team in Game 1, which gives Vegas six high quality defenders.<\/p>\n
Between Pietrangelo, McNabb, Alec Martinez, Zach Whitecloud, Shea Theodore and Nic Hague the Golden Knights have one of the strongest two-way groups which gives them a clear- cut advantage in this category.<\/p>\n
Golden Knights vs Oilers Goaltending & Injuries<\/h3>\n
The Golden Knights goaltending is in a precarious situation as Logan Thompson is nowhere close to returning while Johnathan Quick hasn't played in a month while Adin Hill hasn't played in two.<\/p>\n
That leaves former Oilers backup Laurent Brossoit, who was very sharp against the Jets with only 13 goals allowed on 166 shots over the five games with a .915 save percentage. However, if he struggles and Vegas needs to turn to Hill that could spell trouble.<\/p>\n
Rookie goaltender Stuart Skinner has only started 64 NHL games and had a tumultuous first playoff series with a 3.43 GAA and .890 save percentage across six games.<\/p>\n
Skinner was solid during the regular season and could wind up being a Calder Trophy finalist. Jack Campbell could step in but he played only 50 minutes in the first round after relieving Skinner early in Game 4. Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft will likely stick with Skinner but there will be a short leash if he falters.<\/p>\n
The Oilers are fully healthy outside of Mattias Janmark who has been out since Game 1 against the Kings with a foot injury. Janmark is close to returning after skating as a placeholder in the Edmonton morning skate prior to Game 6.<\/p>\n
The biggest loss for the Knights is goaltender Logan Thompson who has been out since March with a lower body injury.<\/p>\n
Brayden McNabb missed Game 5 in the series against Winnipeg with an upper body injury but is expected to return to practice with the team on Tuesday, which is a good sign for Game 1.<\/p>\n
Golden Knights vs Oilers Expert Prediction<\/h2>\n
When you look at this series, it's hard to ignore the success Edmonton had against Vegas during the regular season. The Oilers went 3-0-1 against the Golden Knights, although three of those games were decided by one goal.<\/p>\n
Vegas is intriguing in this series as an underdog considering the home team typically has the edge in NHL Playoffs. However, the Knights don't have a tandem nearly as lethal as McDavid and Draisaitl.<\/p>\n
Eichel is on their level and capable of big things but this is his first postseason rodeo. The Oilers are the better team on paper and I'm fully expecting another long postseason run.<\/p>\n
Series Prediction: Edmonton Oilers Win Series -150 Draftkings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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