Golden Knights fall 4-2 to Oilers

The Golden Knights had enough zone time to make Sunday feel playable. They did not have enough finish, and they made too many mistakes against the wrong team.

Vegas fell 4-2 to Edmonton at T-Mobile Arena, dropping to 29-21-14 and slipping to 1-4 in March. The Golden Knights stayed one point behind Anaheim for first in the Pacific, but the Oilers moved within two points after taking the second meeting of the season.

Territory without payoff

Vegas had the puck enough to build something. It just did not turn into enough from the areas that mattered.

Bruce Cassidy said the Oilers packed the middle and invited shots from the outside, which should have made the answer obvious. Get pucks through, get bodies to the crease, and win the second chance game.

“That’s how you break teams down,” Cassidy said. “We did it in the second period and we got away from it.”

The Golden Knights finished with 26 shots, but too many of them lacked the net-front traffic or rebound pressure Cassidy wanted. Connor Ingram stopped 24, and Vegas let Edmonton survive the stretches where the game was there to grab.

Second period swings

After a scoreless first, Edmonton broke through at 3:21 of the second when Trent Frederic scored off a sequence that started with the Oilers getting to a loose puck first.

Vegas answered at 13:09 of the period. Noah Hanifin jumped into space, got a puck through, and tied it 1-1 with Mitch Marner picking up the assist. Hanifin said afterward the key for him was simple.

“For me it’s all about just being assertive and moving my feet,” he said.

That period also showed what Cassidy was talking about. Vegas had possession, got its defense involved, and spent enough time in the offensive zone to tilt the ice. It just did not cash in enough while the game was still there.

One mistake, then another

The game turned for good early in the third.

With Vegas on a delayed penalty, Vasily Podkolzin scored unassisted at 2:34 to put Edmonton back in front, 2-1. Then Leon Draisaitl made it 3-1 at 11:53 after the Oilers won another race and finished a transition look created by Connor McDavid.

Cassidy said those moments keep snowballing too quickly for his group.

“No team makes the right play every time,” he said. “Putting out the fires for us has been a challenge.”

That line fit the night. Vegas was not blown off the rink. It just could not survive the short stretches when the game tilted.