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Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
From the game’s very first shift, the Edmonton Oilers showed the Vegas Golden Knights they meant business while the VGK competitive spirit was MIA.
In Game 2 Saturday, the Oilers scored two power play goals in the first seven minutes before the planet’s best hockey player, Connor McDavid, scored a short-handed highlight-reel goal with one arm as Edmonton ambushed VGK for a 3-0 lead after a dozen minutes in the first period.
Yes, it was that man Leon Draisaitl, leading off the scoring for Edmonton with a power play goal before defenseman Evan Bouchard blasted a slap shot past VGK goalie Laurent Brossoit on Edmonton’s second power play.
Then McDavid showed why he’s the NHL’s premier player by powering his way toward the VGK net with the puck on a penalty kill and flicking in a goal with one arm with a shot between Brossoit’s legs while fending off Knights defenseman Shea Theodore at the same time.
It was clear that Edmonton came out the more hungry team, playing with a sense of urgency and desperation.
The goal-scoring machine of Draisaitl scored the Oilers’ fourth tally and the Knights were in a deep hole, trailing, 4-0.
The game was hardly in the balance after that as Edmonton cruised to a 5-1 win to tie the second round series at a game apiece. The Best-of-7 series now shifts to Edmonton for Game 3 and 4 next week.
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said he was disappointed in the Knights’ lack of competitive spirit tonight.
“It was the most disappointing part of the game,” Cassidy in his postgame presser.
They were ready to play. . . They won the races. They won the battles. They were better than us on special teams. We weren’t hard on the puck. — Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy
Conversely, Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft commended his team for jumping on the Knights from the get-go.
“I liked our start. We asserted ourselves right off the bat,” Woodcroft said. “We had our skating legs from the very first shift.”
Noted McDavid, comparing Game 2 to Game 1: “We played a lot faster. We were more aggressive.”
Edmonton delivered a shot barrage, applying 19 shots on goal to four for Vegas after one period.
The attendance was announced at 18,504.
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The Knights played more competitively in period two.
But they went in the box on a Jack Eichel interference penalty and the Oilers made them pay.
McDavid found the smallest of spaces to beat Brossoit on a power play and Edmonton was cruising with a 5-0 lead after two periods.
Cassidy said Brossoit needed to make that save on the McDavid goal.
“The goalie needs to make that save,” he said.
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The Knights avoided getting shut out when Ivan Barbashev swatted the puck with a baseball bat swing and the puck found its way past Edmonton netminder Stuart Skinner early in the third period for an Oilers’ 5-1 lead.
VGK coach Bruce Cassidy pulled Brossoit after the second period and inserted Adin Hill in goal for the final period. It was Hill’s first action of the postseason.
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It was odd and very inconvenient for fans who had travel plans Saturday when the National Hockey League switched Vegas vs. Edmonton Game 2 from an originally-scheduled Friday date to Saturday here in Las Vegas. The new date was announced two days after it was originally set for Friday and it raises the question why did the NHL announce Game 2’s date if it was not final?
Before Game 2 today, LVSportsBiz.com asked Cassidy about the Game 2 date change and Cassidy quipped that he read that some people were annoyed about the switch.
The Knights’ bench leader then turned serious and observed the 4 PM start time today is atypical and could favor the Oilers since they’re on the road as the visiting team.
But at the end of the day, “You play the schedule in front of you.”
Cassidy said we will meet in the media room after the game and see what impact the switch had. He noted his squad is healthy to play.
“I’m sure both teams will be ready,” Cassidy said.
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This is the first postseason for Cassidy with the Knights and he made an observation toward the end of his answer about VGK center Chandler Stephenson.
“It’s an education on the fly,” he said.
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Speaking of Golden Knights coaches, former VGK coach Gerard “Turk” Gallant and the New York Rangers have parted ways after the Rangers lost to division rival New Jersey Devils in the first round.
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Fans lined up early on the plaza before Game 2 to get VGK tattoos.