The Oilers win Game 2 3 keys against the Golden Knights – Hockey Writer – Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers will lead the Vegas Golden Knights 2-0 in the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, when the team fought in Game 2 of T-Mobile Arena on Thursday (May 8).
Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Hub
Edmonton is the hottest team in the NHL playoffs, trailing 2-0 in the first round of the series against the Los Angeles Kings, winning five straight games.
After defeating Vegas 4-2 in Game 1 on Tuesday (May 6), the Oilers have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to seize control of the series. Historically, the NHL team, which led 2-0 in seven games, won 86.3% of the games. These are the three keys to Edmonton’s victory in the second game of the NHL Playoffs.
Limit opportunities
Calvin Pickard’s feeling from professional guard to five straight playoff titles is a good postseason, but it’s not like the 33-year-old Oiler goalkeeper suddenly suddenly like his Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur.
Picard’s target average (GAA) is 2.76, with a percentage savings (SV%) of .891, ranking 13Th and 15Thamong all goalkeepers in the playoffs respectively. In fact, his playoff numbers were worse than his regular season numbers when he had a playoff count of 2.71 GAA and .900 SV.
Edmonton has been successful in the 2025 playoffs, not against the opposition, not beyond them. The oilers provided Picard with a lot of running support, and in turn, he made enough savings to give his team a chance to win.
No one thinks the Oilers can play in the Stanley Cup with Picard as the starting goalkeeper. But, after all, if Pickard isn’t asked to do too much, maybe they can.
That means limiting opponents’ chances, which is exactly what Edmonton did on Tuesday, scoring Vegas 17 shots and seven senior scoring opportunities. In the first round of the series against Minnesota Field, the Golden Knights averaged 32.2 shots and 11.7 senior player scoring opportunities per game.
Lead the lottery
One important reason the Oilers were able to minimize Vegas’ chances was that they controlled the game as the game went on, thanks in large part to their ability to get a shot from the puck from the draw.
Edmonton owned the point Tuesday, playing 33-19 in the standoff, especially well between the blue lines, winning 12 of 17 neutral zones. Center Leon Draisaitl leads the Oilers to 11-4 in the standoff, while Edmonton forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins wins five of his six neutral zone draws.
The Oilers finished the first game with a 63.5% standoff rate, the highest in the playoffs since 2006, better than in all of the 82 games in the 2024-25 season.
Obviously, this imbalance is unlikely to repeat. But if the oilers can win a 55-60% draw in Game 2, it will go a long way toward another win for the enemy’s ice.
Score first
After overcoming four unresolved goals in Game 1 and overcoming an early 2-0 deficit, Edmonton became the first team in Stanley Cup playoff history, winning five consecutive victories in one playoff.
Now, the Oilers are 4-2, when the opponent scores and 3-2 behind two periods. They also managed to remove the four-point deficit in Game 1 against Los Angeles and then lost the goal at the last minute.
So, considering that all five Edmonton wins in this playoffs were made through a comeback, it seems silly, but the Oilers do need to score first.
While Edmonton’s ability to gather so far is incredible, it’s not the secret to sustained success. The Oiler lags behind early and goes through multiple goals each time. Sooner or later, their luck will run out, especially for elite teams that are still experiencing hockey in the spring. The Golden Knight is one of them.
In 41 home games this season, Las Vegas led 21-1-1 after the first season and led 40 minutes later. They most likely won’t win another lead on this series’ T-Mobile Arena.
During the last two stages of Tuesday, Edmonton played a textbook game. If the oilers can complete a full 60 minutes on Thursday, they will be hard to beat.
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