Oilers look to learn from lesson in previous playoff loss to Vegas
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins #93 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first period against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 6 of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on May 01, 2025, in Edmonton. (Credit: Leila Devlin)
Like anything in life, the NHL is all about living and learning.
And more often than not in the playoffs, the lessons can be both long and hard. Especially the ones that result in elimination, followed by an off-season worth of reflection.
Of course, the Edmonton Oilers need no reminder of the harsh reality, after having waited all the way until Game 7 of last year's Stanley Cup Final before finally facing elimination at the hands of the Florida Panthers.
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It goes without saying that's one final exam the Oilers would like nothing more than to rewrite.
But before that can happen, there is another test in front of them. One they ended up failing two years ago in a Round 2 meeting with the Vegas Golden Knights, who won the series in six games on their way to hoisting the Stanley Cup.
The Oilers can only hope that loss turned into lessons they can use to avoid the same result this time, as the two teams clash once again in the very same scenario, opening the second-round series at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.
And if there was one lesson that stuck out from the first go-round, it's that once you get the lead out against the Golden Knights, you had better not put the pencil down until time's up.
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'Sticking with it through 60 (minutes),' said Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins following Tuesday's morning skate. 'It's always so important against anybody, but we kind of felt that against Vegas, for sure.'
In the 2022-23 playoffs, Vegas held home-ice advantage and landed the first punch, winning Game 1 before Edmonton countered. And again until the series was tied 2-2, before the Golden Knights ended the back-and-forth pattern with back-to-back wins in Games 5 and 6. (Oddly enough, it was the exact same way the Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings one round prior.)
But there was another pattern that had emerged, one the Oilers failed to capitalize on.
'I think somebody said we had the lead in every game in that series, which I didn't even remember that,' Nugent-Hopkins said. 'But obviously they're a team that's not going to go away. They're going to keep pushing, and we have that same mindset.
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'So, it's about trying to stay in it for 60. Obviously, it's hard to play a perfect 60 minutes, so you want to do the best you can.'
Truth be told, the Oilers opened the scoring in the first five games, and took a 2-1 lead 2:43 into Game 6 the only time they didn't. But Nugent-Hopkins' point stands. Getting the lead in the beginning is nice, but holding onto it by the end is infinitely better.
The Oilers discovered that side of it in the previous round of these playoffs, where they once again defeated the Kings in six games. And this time, the script was flipped and Edmonton only opened the scoring once (compliments of Nugent-Hopkins on the way to a 7-4 win in Game 3).
'I thought we had a couple good starts,' Nugent-Hopkins said of the last round. 'We just kind of couldn't find ways to get that first one. But it's just a simple mindset allowing us to skate and get everybody into it.'
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So, they know they have the ability to jump out to an early lead against Vegas. And the last series showed the Oilers are able to regain lost ground if they fall behind early. The trick in Round 2 will be putting it all together enough to become the first to four wins. And that means finding a way to beat the house in Las Vegas at least once.
While the Kings and Golden Knights offer vastly different playing styles, there was another lesson to come out of Round 1 that could help the Oilers in this series.
'I've talked about it before, I think Game 6 was putting a lot of pucks on net,' Nugent-Hopkins said. 'Just trying as much as we can to wear them down that way.
'If you're the defending team, you're kind of watching bodies as the puck comes in, and as a forward, you can go get that puck. So, it's a lot easier to pick them up and play in the O-zone if you're putting a lot to the net.'
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In other words, get the lead out. And keep it there.
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
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