Overtime in the interior chaos of the Golden Cavaliers and Oilers in Vegas – Hockey Writer – Las Vegas Golden Cavaliers

Game 2 brought all the drama we expected to be for the playoffs, showing exciting climaxes and crushing lows. When the dust settled, the Edmonton Oilers beat Vegas’ Golden Knights 5-4 in overtime, and in one game, it had almost everything.

In the crazy 15-minute overtime game, Game 2 saw every round of chaos evolve. From Nicolas Roy’s inexplicable cross-check to Trent Frederic’s face, it finally painted a five-minute professional (who will hold a hearing with the Player’s Safety Department tonight), laying the foundation for the controversial call-free, allowing the Oilers to capitalize and get a 5-4 victory.

Related: The Oilers beat the Golden Knights 5-4 in overtime, leading the series 2-0

With that, the Golden Knights now see themselves as a 2-0 hole. It’s something they’re too familiar with, and just on the other side. They led 2-0 in the 2024 playoffs but eventually fell down and lost three straight wins in seven games.

Overtime is chaotic, busy, and other adjectives related to these two. So let’s break it down and uncover the overtime situation.

Major fines almost replicate the nightmare of 2019

Both teams are in the fight for the hockey battle for Calvin Pickard to the left, with Roy and Frederic in it. After a fight, Roy turned around and scrutinized Frederic’s face, a move that immediately caught the attention of officials and everyone on the ice.

They called it a five-minute heavy penalty and confirmed it after review. The comments were done quickly and Roy was sent away for misconduct in the game.

The call is similar to the 2019 playoffs, when Cody Eakin was evaluated as a major fine at a critical moment. Now the Golden Knights are facing a mission to kill a major fine in overtime without Roy, one of their most reliable fine killers.

“I think adrenaline brings them up,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy. “Listen, if you don’t kill it, it’s done. So, don’t worry about what happens after it gets killed. A little good, okay, let’s stand up, we did, we did, unfortunately, that part was off track.”

Las Vegas went on to kill a major fine, with Adin Hill making several advanced saves throughout the process. He didn’t perform best in Game 2, but he was called during Roy’s free throw, which gave the Golden Knights another chance to win.

“There are some positions and areas in the game that are going to surpass them,” Cassidy said. “He will have to do this at some point. It’s usually just the composition of any series.”

Roy will be conducting a professional cross-check hearing tonight at Frederic. It’s likely to see him being suspended usually, not fines rather than fines.

Controversial McNab

After five minutes of professionalism behind them, both teams made trading opportunities on either end of the rink, breaking the deadlock almost several times. Tomas Hertl almost found the back of the Vegas net, while Zach Hyman shot a shot from the post within inches of the score.

Then, less than five minutes from overtime, Brayden McNabb and Viktor Arvidsson chased the puck to the right of Hill, while Arvidsson took root between McNabb’s legs, causing him to fall on the board first with his shoulder. He left the game and did not come back.

There is no punishment for drama The Oilers continue to win less than a minute thanks to the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

“Listen, Gold looked at it,” Cassidy said. “He blew it. He blew the phone. I don’t know what to say. It’s a can open trip. It’s a dangerous game. It’s all the things. All this stuff. It’s not called, so you have to keep playing.”

McNabb’s third identity status is airing, and he may be eliminated for a long time, which is a big blow to the Las Vegas defense.

“I mean, it’s obviously a fine,” said Golden Knights Captain Mark Stone. “He sent him to the board first. The free throw in my eyes was obvious, I think everyone’s eyes. It’s just a dirty play and we didn’t get the call.”

McDavid and Draisaitl with overtime goals

McDavid and Draisaitl were eliminated all night in Game 2 and did not produce anything in 60 minutes of regulation. Sure, they have some chances, but they aren’t on the score sheet and Vegas does a great job of defending them.

Until overtime, McDavid flew over Eichel at the time and sent one to Draisaitl who slapped it for victory. That was their first point, and it turned out that the only point they needed to come out.

“They ended up making the game,” Cassidy said. “They don’t need too much, right?

This is good in part of Las Vegas, but not good enough, and sometimes it’s like that in the playoffs. The Golden Knights are now trailing 2-0, and they head to Edmonton for key matches 3 and 4.

The Golden Knights are behind 2-0, what is next?

The Golden Knights beat 2-0 in the series and are now facing an uphill battle with only a 14% chance to come back. But this is not the first time they find themselves in such a position. They made a comeback against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of 2021 and now they need to win four of the next five games to return to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at 6:00 pm PDT in Edmonton.