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Ty Emberson, Brett Kulak, Connor Brown and Trent Frederic of the Edmonton Oilers celebrate a first-period goal against the Los Angeles Kings during Game Six of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

3 Takeaways From Oilers’ 4-2 Game 1 Victory Over Golden Knights

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Matt Parks | Last updated May 7, 2025 9:55 AM ET

The Edmonton Oilers kicked off Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights from T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, May 6. The Oilers fell behind 2-0 early thanks to a pair of Mark Stone goals within the first 10 minutes. But they responded with four unanswered, including Zach Hyman’s game-winning goal with 3:02 remaining. The Oilers also got goals from Corey Perry, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor Brown to secure their fifth-straight victory. Here are three takeaways from this massive road win.

The Oilers Dominated the Final 2 Periods

After Vegas took a 2-0 lead, this game was all Edmonton. They stuck with it and dominated the cycle game, especially in the second period. While they didn’t score, they controlled play in the offensive zone and had a 12-1 shot advantage. They continued to push in the third period and finally broke through on a fluky goal to tie the game at two. Evan Bouchard’s shot was redirected in the air, off the glove of goaltender Adin Hill, and Draisaitl whacked the puck off his pad and into the net. The Oilers were pushing and finally got a much-needed bounce. They deserved to get rewarded, and they did.

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers had 32 scoring chances and 13 high-danger chances at 5-on-5. The Golden Knights only had 13 scoring chances and three high-danger chances at 5-on-5. Edmonton completely limited Vegas’ opportunities at even strength and held them to a measly 17 shots. The expected goals were also in Edmonton’s favour, as they had 2.51 expected goals to Vegas’s 0.99. The Oilers played a near-perfect road game in Game 5 against the Los Angeles Kings, and they followed that up with another stellar performance in this one. The Oilers are down, but never out, as they are the first team in NHL history with five-straight come-from-behind victories in a single postseason, thanks to another third-period comeback. They’ve out-scored their opponents 17-6 in the third period these playoffs.

Oilers’ Depth Continues to Impress

This was another excellent game for the Oilers’ depth forwards. They took over in Games 5 and 6 against the Kings and continued to step up in this one. While only a few got on the scoresheet, the depth was effective. The second line of Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Evander Kane combined for the game-winning goal and were tenacious on the forecheck. That trio combined for 12 hits, six from Hyman, five from Kane, and one from Nugent-Hopkins.

ZACH HYMAN!!! OILERS LEAD LATE IN THE THIRD pic.twitter.com/CsWtyu8PyD
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 7, 2025

The third line of Brown, Adam Henrique, and Trent Frederic was outstanding. Henrique had three shots and four hits in 17:46 of ice time and had some quality looks. Frederic had one shot and three hits in 13:52 of ice time. His lone shot was on a breakaway, which Hill stopped. After the play, he broke his stick over his helmet out of frustration. He seems to be getting better and better every game and is getting up to speed, which is a great sign moving forward. Then, there’s Brown, who was arguably Edmonton’s best forward. He’s had back-to-back outstanding games and scored a brilliant goal in the final two minutes. The Oilers forward made a nifty swim move around the defender and beat Hill glove-side to seal the deal.

The fourth line also had a solid game despite their limited minutes. Viktor Arvidsson had five shots and one hit in 9:41 of ice time, and Vasily Podkolzin had two shots and five hits in only 7:47 of ice time. That line was noticeable and cycled the puck effectively, resulting in sustained zone time.

In their last playoff series against the Golden Knights in 2023, Draisaitl and Connor McDavid combined for 11 goals, whereas the rest of the team only scored eight combined, and five from the forwards. This team is much deeper this time, and the Oilers will have a great chance of winning this series if their depth continues to step up and play well.

Oilers Get Rare Game 1 Win

The Oilers haven’t had much success in Game 1s in recent memory, dating back to the 2017 Playoffs. This was only their fourth Game 1 victory in their last 15 attempts. They are known for coming from behind and battling back in a series. In their last 10 series, they’ve trailed in nine of them. Despite that, they’ve won seven of them. The Oilers are a resilient team, but it’s nice to play ahead.

This is an unfamiliar spot for this group, but it’s important to continue applying pressure and not sit back. The Oilers have a great opportunity to stun the Pacific Division winners and drag them back to Alberta with a 2-0 series lead. If they play the same way in Game 2 as in Game 1, they have a great chance to come away victorious.