
Kasperi Kapanen scores lone goal in overtime as Oilers eliminate Golden Knights, return to Western Conference final
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Adin Hill made 29 saves for Vegas.
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Both teams also were involved in the two most recent scoreless playoff games to reach overtime. The Oilers lost to the Jets on May 21, 2021, five days after the Golden Knights were defeated by the Wild.
KASPERI KAPANEN OVERTIME WINNER 🚨
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers)
Edmonton's only 1-0 overtime playoff victory occurred in 1997 over the the Stars. Vegas has yet to win a postseason game by that score in OT.
The Golden Knights played without captain Mark Stone because of an upper-body injury that caused him to miss most of Game 3 on Saturday. He played in Game 4 on Monday, but was far from at full health.
Neither team scored through the first two periods, and prime scoring chances were at a premium. There were only five high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, and the Golden Knights had four of them.
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But each team had a grade A chance early in the third period. Vegas's Brett Howden whiffed on a tap-in after taking a fantastic pass from Jack Eichel, and shortly after Edmonton's Leon Draistaitl failed to convert on a breakaway. Connor McDavid had a chance on a two-on-one to end the game in regulation but was denied by Hill with 1:06 left.

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New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Connor McDavid vs. Leon Draisaitl: Of the Oilers superstars, who will age better?
The Edmonton Oilers have been blessed with two franchise talents playing at elite levels for a decade. As Connor McDavid (who turns 29 in January) and Leon Draisaitl (who will be 30 in October) get older, it's worth asking the question: Which of the two will be more productive in their 30s? Through the 2024-25 season, both men have posted exceptional numbers that compare to all-time best offence. Draisaitl's comparables (in points per game, position and roster slot) through age 29 include brilliant names like Peter Forsberg and Nathan MacKinnon. The only names above McDavid in points per game are Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and a bunch of old-timey guys like Newsy Lalonde and Cy Denneny, who were skating around on bone skates 100 years ago. Advertisement Finding a true comparable is no easy chore, and that alone informs us about these two players. The fewer truly comparable players, the more unique and elite the player in question. Finding a comparable for McDavid is impossible, as his combination of speed, skill and offensive production are historically unique. He is one of one. If we use names from the past, we're left with shy numbers (Gilbert Perreault) or mind-blowing numbers from the highest-scoring era in history (Gretzky and Lemieux). The only other consistent Art Ross winner in the McDavid era is Nikita Kucherov, himself an outstanding offensive player for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is not similar in style to McDavid, but the output has been good enough to win three scoring championships during McDavid's time in the league. Kucherov, 32, is a few years further down the aging curve and that gives us an indication of what might be in the future for McDavid. McDavid's offensive talent is superior to Kucherov during the seasons when both men played in the league, but the winger still posted outstanding totals during these seasons. The most important item in this exercise is the exceptional offensive performance by Kucherov after age 27. Elite players enjoy a higher trajectory than mere mortals, and the career bell curve often shows a slower fade than most NHL players. Kucherov is showing that kind of career strength, and there's every chance McDavid reaches or exceeds his levels. There's a tendency to undervalue bigger forwards as they age, but the productivity levels of quality scorers with size has been strong over many decades. Phil Esposito was an elite scorer 55 years ago, and he was highly productive (34-44-78 in 80 games) at age 37. Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings scored 67 points in 81 games last year at age 37. Advertisement That said, Esposito and Kopitar played very different styles of hockey. Esposito's career ended less than one year after his age-37 campaign but this is a provably different era. By the time Draisaitl approaches that age, it's anyone's guess how much the game will have changed offensively. What we can track is Draisaitl's offensive output over the past four seasons in comparison to MacKinnon, who was born about two months before Edmonton's big centre. Both men show consistency despite the NHL's shifting sands in calling penalties that create power plays. Both Draisaitl and MacKinnon have elite teammates, and that can only help each man sustain current offensive levels. Both men are also speedsters, with NHL Edge placing Draisaitl's straight speed in the 92nd percentile (and 94th in the playoffs) and MacKinnon's in the 98th percentile. The MacKinnon comparison is less than ideal as a projection exercise, but there are strong indicators both men will be among the NHL's best for several seasons to come. Foot speed, conditioning and quality of linemates likely guarantee more elite seasons for Draisaitl. McDavid arrived in the NHL labeled as the next generational player and has delivered a decade of breathtaking hockey. His incredible skills are on display from October to June every year. Any reduction in performance can be explained through injuries and a league-wide reduction in power-play opportunities. The Oilers are a better team than in his early years, and the organization has strong wingers for the top lines. The Oilers captain is in an ideal situation, and should be elite offensively for the next five or six seasons. That will most likely be followed by a long and productive coda that takes him to his late 30s. Based on his ridiculous speed and hand-eye coordination, it's possible he plays to age 40 and beyond. Advertisement The numbers suggest McDavid will be the more productive player, but the fact Draisaitl is realistically in the conversation is a credit to the big man's determination and hard work. When he arrived in pro hockey, there were concerns about foot speed and endurance, and little mention of his now all-world shot and release. Draisaitl is more than the sum of his parts coming out of junior. His progression and sustained performance at the highest levels can be partially credited to McDavid. Like Gretzky during his early years with the Oilers, McDavid's presence and outrageous skills allowed talented teammates to improve just by playing with (and practicing against) the best player on the planet. Just as Gretzky inspired Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson and Paul Coffey, McDavid's talent elevated the team's best young talent. Draisaitl was the first example, and Evan Bouchard the latest. Draisaitl's career has flown far higher than anyone expected (except then-GM Craig MacTavish, who was lavish in his praise on draft day) and he should deliver strong offensive seasons through the end of the decade. After that, Draisaitl is likely to have enough speed and two-way acumen to play in the top six for several more years. McDavid is inevitable. His scoring rates are consistently in the top two or three among NHL scorers every season; he is the owner of five Art Ross trophies as leading scorer in the NHL, easily the most of his generation. The class of the next decade starts with McDavid. The numbers suggest he will ease into his 30s with remarkable grace. The great news is that Draisaitl won't be far behind. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle

Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Golden Knights Will Travel More Than 46,000 Miles And Will Cross A League-High 52 Time Zones This Season
This season, the NHL's 32 teams will collectively travel nearly 1.3 million miles and cross over 1,000 time zones during the 2025-26 season. A recent study by analyzed the full NHL schedule and used the haversine formula, which considers the curvature of the Earth, to calculate how far each team will travel based on arena-to-arena distances. Per the report, the Golden Knights rank sixth in travel miles (46,916.6), with the first five also coming from the Western Conference. Vegas will cross 52 time zones during the season - most in the NHL. Dallas leads the league in travel miles (50,601.7), while the New York Islanders will travel the least (28,477.3). The Golden Knights, who rank sixth with 362 road points since entering the league in 2017, ranked fifth in the league with 49 road points last season. Since Bruce Cassidy took over as coach in 2022, the Golden Knights have the fifth-most road points (151) i the NHL. The Golden Knights have two three-game trips early in the season, both in October, and two more short ones in November. The Knights will head to the East Coast in December for five games, with stops in New Jersey, Manhattan, Long Island, Philadelphia and Columbus. They have just one other five-game trip the rest of the season, in late February and early March, when they'll stop in Los Angeles before heading back to the Eastern time zone with stops in Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Detroit.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
If and when this prospect dog will have his Day with the Edmonton Oilers
The Top 20 countdown of our 2025 Cult of Hockey Prospect Series continues. These are the twenty young men in the system today closest to making an impact with the big club. Players only fall off the list once they: -Make the NHL -Get dealt to a different organization -Age out, or… -Drop off the map. O.K.? Let us proceed… 2025 Edmonton Oilers Top Prospect Rankings #17 – Nathaniel Day, G (Voters: David Staples, Kurt Leavins, Jim Matheson, Ira Cooper). A few days ago, I wrote how the Oilers only have two goaltenders in their Top 20 prospects. That is when we were featuring young Eemil Vinni at #20. The other goalie in the Top 20 is the subject of this prospect preview, juts mere notches higher on the ladder than his tender brethren… …or at least that is how the Cult of Hockey panel sees them. A Grimsby, Ontario native, Nathaniel Day was drafted in 2023 by Edmonton, in Round 6, number 184 overall. Day is a fairly tall kid at 6'4, weighs in at 205, and catches and shoots left. He is 20 years old right now and will turn 21 in February. Puckpedia has him on a three-year contract with a cap hit of $856,667 through 2028. After a strong finish to 2023-24 for Flint of the OHL when he supplanted a more experienced starter, Day took another decent forward in 2024-25. In 59 games he was 26-25-5, with a 3.07 GAA and a .894 SV%. Those were improvements from 2024-24's 54 GP, 25-26-2, 3.73 GAA, 0.0868 SV%. Progress. He then had a productive cup of coffee with Fort Wayne of the ECHL at season's end. He was 2-0-0 in 3 games with a 0.43 GAA and a .981 SV%. For the Komets in the playoffs, he was 2-1-1, 2.17 GAA, 0.914 GAA. Small sample, but encouraging. Here is what the scouts say. Elite Prospects: – 'Day displays a lot of patience in a variety of different scoring opportunities. He is solid and composed on breakaways, rarely making the first move. When the puck is worked around the zone, he shows good attention to detail by making micro adjustments with his feet to stay on angle, even when the play around him speeds up.' From our old friend Bruce McCurdy's Cult of Hockey article back on draft day: – 'His wide stance could become more of an issue as he moves on in his career. It forces him to make a lot of lunging moves across the crease on plays that he could otherwise beat on his feet with a confident push. A narrower stance that gives him better access to his edges, combined with the patience that he already has could be a deadly combination. Questions about tracking have also emerged because too many clean shots beat him.' And finally, from Dobber Prospects: – 'An athletic goaltender who can make high-difficulty saves. Needs to get better with reads and consistency.' Other player pluses: -His height combined with his upright posture enables him to cover a lot of net. -Moves well post-to-post. Good news, for a bigger man. -He has quick pads. Fits his stand-up approach. Where does he need work? -As alluded to above, Day can go down early, and leave himself scrambling to get back on his feet where he is strongest. -Tracking the puck. Common for young goalies. His (small sample) good start in the ECHL is a good sign, though. -Perimeter & Angles. Related to the above, he can struggle with outside shots. General observations: -Day was a Ken Holland/Tyler Wright selection, so Stan Bowman and Rick Pracey may not have the same investment in him. That is just how it works in most organizations, and hardly exclusive to Edmonton. We shall see. Projection: -Nathaniel Day has a way to go and a lot to prove and improve upon before he would be considered a strong NHL prospect. In the short term, expect his time this upcoming season to be split between the ECHL and AHL. Most goalies develop slower than skaters and just need the reps at a lower pro level first. So, if he starts in Fort Wayne and even spends most of the season there, that is not necessarily a danger sign. -But if Day ends up in more games for the Condors than the Komets this season, that would be a significant plus. It would signal encouraging maturity and growth in the points outlined above. That would be considered the best case case scenario for Day, in the short-term. -As for his NHL future? At this time, it would seem several seasons away at the very best. Day may stack up no better than the organizational Number five. But as a 6th Round pick, he was always going to be a long shot. Next up…prospect #16 from my Cult of Hockey colleague David Staples. Now on Bluesky @ Also, find me on Threads @kleavins, Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at KurtLeavins@ This article is not AI generated. Recently, at The Cult… STAPLES: Are the Oilers really in trade talks for Boston's 1st Round winger LEAVINS: Oilers cap challenges not Connor McDavid's problem Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025. Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here