Sleep tight Vegas: Edmonton Oilers turn lights out on Golden Knights
In the movie Slap Shot, Charlestown Chiefs coach Reggie Dunlop famously paid an ambulance driver to circle the arena and hype the impending violence.
The Edmonton Oilers could have something similar before Game 5 on Wednesday, only with a hearse.
After how Edmonton dominated Game 4 Monday, and with the Oilers' well-earned reputation for finishing teams off in elimination games, you knew there was a pretty good chance the Vegas Golden Knights would be on a cold, hard slab by the end of the night.
It took a while; time of death was listed officially as 7:19 of overtime, but Kasperi Kapanen finally buried the game-winner in a 1-0 victory that clinches the series and advances Edmonton to its third Western Conference championship in four years.
The Oilers are now 8-1 over the last four post-seasons when they have a chance to close out a series. The only time they didn't put a team away was in Game 7 of last year's Stanley Cup Final against Florida.
While the first period of Game 4 was back-and-forth, high-intensity chaos, Game 5 was a careful, low-event chess match. That's pretty much what you'd expect from a team that specializes in putting opponents out of their misery and a former Stanley Cup champion that wasn't going down easy.
Scoreless in the first period.
Scoreless in the second period.
Scoreless in the third period.
If anyone wanted an inch of ice, they had to fight for it.
The game, and maybe the series, was going to come down to one big play. Or one big mistake. Or one lucky bounce.
In the end, it was a fittingly greasy winner, with Kapanen jamming home the winner in a wild goalmouth scramble.
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner had his second shutout win in a row while Adin Hill, who was thrown off his game badly in Monday's 3-0 loss, was rock solid at the other end.
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com
Recent history on Edmonton Oilers' side in elimination playoff games
Edmonton restaurants already getting playoff boost from Oilers
You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
42 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Journeyman defenseman Nate Schmidt surprisingly leads Panthers in scoring in the Stanley Cup Final
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers' leading scorer through two games of the Stanley Cup Final is not Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov or Sam Reinhart. It's Nate Schmidt. Yes, the journeyman defenseman who was bought out last summer and is playing for just above the NHL veteran minimum. Schmidt has four points, three of them primary assists, against the Edmonton Oilers. 'He's been great,' teammate Gustav Forsling said Sunday. 'He's been playing unreal, making some huge, huge plays for us in key moments.' Schmidt is 33 and seven years removed from his first trip to the final, losing with Vegas in the Golden Knights' inaugural season to the Washington Capitals, who he broke into the league. He is one of the newcomers who were not part of Florida's title run last year and are looking to hoist the Cup for the first time. 'It's incredibly hard to get back to this stage, and this time I'm just trying to slow it down and enjoy it,' said Schmidt, who has gone from fresh faced with floppy hair to a shaved head and full beard. 'This is the pinnacle of our sport, and be able to be here at the end is special." Schmidt said it's 'kind of reminding yourself that you have that game in you and you're just unlocking it.' He has reminded coach Paul Maurice of the player he was earlier in his career. 'He's getting up the ice, and he looks like he did when he was a kid when he first came into the league in Washington,' Maurice said. "He was dynamic with the way he'd get up the ice. And then coaches beat that out of you and take the fun out of the game for you, but it looks like he's found his fun again.' Oilers changes At their practice in Sunrise, the Oilers unveiled defense pairs that were all different from the first two games. Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard were put together, Swedes Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg, and Brett Kulak with Jake Walman. They quickly downplayed the impact, saying assistant Paul Coffey, a Hall of Fame defenseman as a player, has been changing things up like this all season. 'Our D corps all year long, it depends on sometimes what day of the week, we could be playing with someone new,' Nurse said. 'Even over the course of a game, you'll be playing with three or four different people, so there's a comfort level everyone has with whoever you're out there playing with.' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did not skate, with healthy scratch Jeff Skinner taking his place on the top line. Coach Kris Knoblauch started to say he thinks Nugent-Hopkins will be in for Game 3 on Monday night before calling Edmonton's longest-tenured player a game-time decision. Ekblad is fine Florida's Aaron Ekblad took a puck off his left hand in the second overtime of Game 2 on a shot by Nurse and was writhing in pain on the bench. He missed one shift before returning, practiced Sunday and declared himself good to go. 'It's just a routine blocked shot,' Ekblad said. 'Stick your hand out for it and try and get it knocked down and get off the ice as quickly as possible, because when you get that stinger you can't really grip for a second. But all good now.' McDavid's assist Connor McDavid wowed in Game 2 when he deked around Barkov and Ekblad and passed the puck to Leon Draisaitl for a one-timer power-play goal that was still getting talked about two days later. 'That was pretty routine in Erie back in the day," said Oilers winger Connor Brown, who was junior teammates there with McDavid more than a decade ago. "To do what he's doing (on) the stage that he doing it at, we're lucky to have him.' Ekblad said McDavid having multiple options is the biggest challenge in defending the undisputed best hockey player in the world with otherworldly abilities. 'You're trying to block a shot, you're trying to block a low pass, a backdoor pass and a walk-on-water toe drag,' Ekblad said. 'So, yeah, McJesus.' McDavid blushed when asked about what it takes to make that kind of play, fumbling over words like opponents fumble to try to contain him before coming up with, 'A lot goes into that.' ___
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rory McIlroy Offers Eye-Opening Comments on Maple Leafs
Rory McIlroy Offers Eye-Opening Comments on Maple Leafs originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into a crucial offseason following another early playoff exit. Toronto fell short in Game 7 of their second-round series with the Florida Panthers, sending them to another bitter offseason. Advertisement With the team having multiple key players entering free agency, the roster could look very different next season. But many have questioned the legitimacy of the title contention from this franchise, considering the playoff failures that occur each year. However, golf star Rory McIlroy hasn't lost faith. The veteran golfer had some eye-opening comments on the Maple Leafs' title chances. 'If I can win the Masters, then the Leafs can win the Stanley Cup,' he told TSN's Bob Weeks, having been longtime friends with Pelley. 'I hope they do it, I was pulling for them hard, especially now because Keith is involved.' Rory McIlroy walks off the 15th green during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Dedmon-Imagn Images The Maple Leafs have seen a 57-year Stanley Cup drought, last lifting the trophy in 1967. Toronto has built consistent winning teams almost every year, but the organization continues to fall short in the playoffs. Advertisement 'I guess we now all have to throw our support behind the Oilers at this point, but one day I hope…it's only a matter of time.', McIlroy said. The franchise is expected to make some big changes across the roster this offseason in the hope of mixing things up. The Maple Leafs front office seems determined to bring a title back to Toronto, starting with the president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Keith Pelley. "Our next step is to take it to the next level and we felt that this move would help us get to the next level. Make no mistake about it, making the playoffs and winning rounds is not our aspirational goal; our goal is to win the Stanley Cup.", Pelley stated. Maybe McIlroy will turn out to be right someday. But for now, the Maple Leafs have a lot of work to do before they can fully be considered true Stanley Cup contenders. Advertisement Related: Sabres Predicted to Land All-Star in Major Offseason Move Related: Surprising NHL Team Expected to Be 'Major' Players in Free Agency This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Golden Knights Predicted to Reunite With Jonathan Marchessault in Blockbuster Move
Golden Knights Predicted to Reunite With Jonathan Marchessault in Blockbuster Move originally appeared on Athlon Sports. When the Vegas Golden Knights decided to move on from star Jonathan Marchessault last offseason, it was one of the more strange decisions around the NHL. Marchessault had just led Vegas to a Stanley Cup title in the previous season, and he was one of the leaders of the team. Advertisement But Vegas wanted to get younger, and Marchessault was a casualty of that fact. But with the Golden Knights being eliminated early in the postseason this year, the front office may look to make big changes to the roster. One of those could be bringing back one of the players directly responsible for helping them win the title. Marchessault had a down season with the Nashville Predators, but his fit never made that much sense to begin with. The veteran scored 21 goals and 35 assists for the Predators this past season. But due to Nashville having their own roster issues, it could see them look to move him. NHL writer Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report named the Golden Knights as a landing spot for Marchessault if Nashville decides to move on. Advertisement "The Golden Knights don't have much trade capital in high-quality draft picks and prospects to offer up for Marchessault. However, Nashville might be willing to accept a mid-range pick and a prospect simply to get most of his cap hit off its books for the next four years.", Richardson wrote. Nashville Predators center Jonathan Marchessault (81) shoots against the Utah Hockey Club during the first period at Bridgestone Roberts-Imagn Images If the Golden Knights were to bring back Marchessault, the fans would surely approve of the move. Marchessault was loved in Vegas and quickly became one of the cornerstones of the new franchise. The veteran is scheduled to make $5.5 million next season and is on the books for four more years. But while the move would be a little complicated to make happen, if the two sides are determined enough, anything is possible. Advertisement Related: Surprising NHL Team Expected to Be 'Major' Players in Free Agency Related: Ducks, Senators Named in Potential Jason Robertson Stars Trade: Report This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
