Global Courant 2023-05-15 09:38:48
The Vegas Golden Knights knocked out the Edmonton Oilers from Stanley Cup contention and advanced to the NHL’s Western Conference Finals with a 5-2 win on Sunday.
The Golden Knights cut the last four games of the best-of-seven Pacific Division to two.
Vegas took a 4-2 lead in the third period on Jonathan Marchessault’s natural hat-trick in the second.
Reilly Smith and William Karlsson with the empty goal also scored for the Golden Knights. Goalkeeper Adin Hill made 39 saves for the win.
Connor McDavid and Warren Foegele were Edmonton’s goal scorers.
Oilers starter Stuart Skinner was replaced by Jack Campbell for the third time in four games.
WATCH l Marchessault posts natural hat-trick to help Vegas oust Edmonton:
Oilers knocked out by Golden Knights as Marchessault’s natural hat-trick leads the way
Jonathan Marchessault’s natural hat-trick leads Vegas to a 5-2 victory over Edmonton to win their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series in six games.
Skinner stopped 13 of 17 shots for 40 minutes. Campbell had four saves in the third period.
The Golden Knights reached the NHL’s last four for the fourth time in the team’s six-year history.
Vegas meets the winner of the series between the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken. That series is tied at three wins apiece with Game 7 scheduled for Monday.
The Oilers didn’t get as far in the postseason as they did in 2022.
Edmonton reached the conference finals last year before losing to eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.
The Golden Knights held Edmonton’s vaunted power play in Sunday’s second period to one scoreless opportunity.
Vegas capped the NHL’s top-scoring team in the regular season to 10 goals in the last four games of the series.
The Knights also outscored Edmonton 17-10 at tied strength.
Leon Draisaitl, who scored 13 goals in his first eight playoff games, and McDavid reunited on the same line in Sunday’s third period in an effort to produce more attacks.
The Oilers created several chances. McDavid fired a shot off the post. Campbell was pulled for an extra forward with over three minutes to play, but Hill and the Golden Knights held their ground.
Marchessault (81) and Oilers captain Connor McDavid (97), who scored his eighth of the playoffs in the 5-2 loss, shook hands after the series ended. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press)
Seconds after a Vegas power play came to an end late in the second period, Marchessault completed his hat-trick with a four-on-four goal at 6:36 p.m.
His wrist shot from just above the lines on a cross-ice feed from Alex Pietrangelo beat Skinner across.
A slap shot from Alec Martinez was deflected off Skinner’s shoulder into the air and landed on the goal line for Marchessault who was at the crease to tap in at 7:44
The puck was diverted from a skate before the crease to Marchessault, who fired into the gap at 4:26 as Skinner slid over the goal mouth to stop it.
Edmonton scored first in the first five games of the series and was occasionally guilty of giving up a quick game to Vegas immediately afterwards.
The script flipped in Game 6, with the Golden Knights scoring 24 seconds after the puck dropped and the Oilers countering 31 seconds later.
The hosts were leading 2-1 in 2:43 of an errorless first period when Derek Ryan played a pass from behind the goal line back to Foegele who drove into the net.
McDavid scored his eighth of the playoffs and his second equally strong 55 seconds into the opening game.
The captain replies pic.twitter.com/ZqRO9nnPUz
Brett Kulak carried the puck over the blue line to center and advanced to the Oilers captain on the wing.
The NHL playoff points leader with 20 defeated Hill with a low shot across the net under the goalie’s blocker.
Smith scored his second in as many games on an Edmonton turnover in his own corner.
Skinner scraped the puck along the boards in a pair of Vegas jerseys, and the puck came into the slot for a Vegas goal 24 seconds into the game.
After an Oilers turnover in their own corner, Smith defeated Skinner from the lock at 24 seconds for Smith’s second in as many games.
