The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-2 in the opening round of the playoffs, setting themselves up for a rematch with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings in six games despite losing the first two games of the series. Their opening-round matchup was filled with goals, shaky defence and at times, awful goaltending. The series was ultimately decided by the best player in the NHL, Connor McDavid, willing the Oilers to win.
The Golden Knights' opening round series was a bit different. It wasn't as tight checking as some may have thought it would have been, but the goal totals were far lower than what occurred in the Oilers series.
The Golden Knights' star forwards, Mark Stone and Jack Eichel, started the series very poorly. They were neutralized by Joel Eriksson-Ek, Brock Faber and Jonas Brodin, but as the series went along, they found their game.
In the final two games of the series, Eichel recorded a goal and three assists, and Stone added his own two goals and three points.
The Golden Knights and Oilers have met in the playoffs before, with the Golden Knights defeating the Oilers in six games in the second round of the 2022-23 playoffs, going on to win the Stanley Cup. The teams traded wins in the first four games before the Golden Knights took over in Games 5 and 6, closing out the series.
The series was headlined by the phenomenal play of Eichel. Although it's seemingly impossible to stop McDavid, Eichel did his best to make him work for every goal while matching his output. If the Golden Knights have any hope of doing so again, they'll need Eichel to play at the level he displayed in Games 5 and 6.
The Golden Knights and Oilers met four times this season, splitting the season series. The Golden Knights were victorious in the first two meetings, but the Oilers defeated the Golden Knights in the following two.
The series will be fierce, as the two teams have built a bit of a rivalry with one another. The Oilers have suffered this season from their lack of depth, something the Golden Knights have an abundance of and will need to exploit to prevail.
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Golden Knights' Forward Announced Day-To-Day With Undisclosed InjuryVegas Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev exited Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild with an undisclosed injury and is listed as day-to-day.