Kasperi Kapanen the hero as Edmonton Oilers eliminate Vegas Golden Knights with 1–0 overtime win

Here’s the three takeaways from last night’s grind of a win:

The depth scoring continues to be torrid

A few days ago, this observer did an article about how balanced the Oilers’ goal-scoring has been, with 15 different players getting on the board in just the first nine games of the playoff run. That’s the same number of Florida Panthers who registered a goal all throughout last year’s playoffs.

Kapanen becomes the 16th different Oiler with a goal these playoffs with his overtime heroics. He seemed energized out of the gate in Game 4 even if he didn’t have any points to show for it at the end, but his insertion into the lineup in place of Viktor Arvidsson paid off massively in Game 5 with that tally. Another clutch lineup decision by Head Coach Kris Knoblauch, who seems to have the Midas touch come playoff time.

Though none of the other Oilers got a goal, some had good looks that are deserving of mention. Connor McDavid was flying tonight, and if he had just shot a few more times instead of passing, this game could have been over sooner. Evander Kane, Mattias Janmark, and Connor Brown all has solid looks for the bottom-six. And Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin teamed up for a dangerous chance at one point.

The Oilers were as disciplined as ever

A shout-out goes to staying out of the box in this game. The Oilers didn’t go shorthanded until late in the second period, and were penalized just once throughout the entire contest. The one time they did have to go on the penalty kill, they were able to get the job done, and not overtax the penalty kill unit.

It is debatable whether or not the Oilers should have been shorthanded as often as they were in Game 4. But they left no doubt about it in Game 5, by avoiding crossing the line, and being physical and scrum-inciting without overdoing it. It’s much easier to win games when you’re not gifting the opponent several man-advantage opportunities.

As far as the overall playoffs, this was the first time the Oilers were shorthanded fewer than two times in a game. The previous ten all saw two or more opportunities for the opponent, with Games 1 and 2 against Los Angeles especially being brutal for penalty trouble. The Oilers picked the best time possible to be on their best behaviour, and it certainly helped them get through this game.

The STUUU is as hot as lava right now

There is no sugar-coating it. Stuart Skinner did not have a very good first two games against the Los Angeles Kings and got supplanted by Calvin Pickard. Even after Pickard got hurt in Game 2 of this series, people were writing Skinner off after the debacle that was Game 3. 2024–25 has not been Skinner’s finest by several measures.

But he is also a key reason the Oilers won Game 4, and an absolutely massive reason they won last night. Vegas had several good opportunities to cash in, in front of a home crowd ready to bring their own noise, and with the offence neutralized in regulation, the Oilers needed perfection from Skinner. He delivered and then some.

This has been a trend for Skinner since the start of last year’s playoffs. He takes some time to feel his way into series over the first three games, but once Game 4 drops the puck, he does his best prime Martin Brodeur impression. These are now his stats in close-out games the Oilers have played with him in net:

The vibes are immaculate

Normally we’d do “what’s next for the Oilers,” but all we know currently is it will be a road game in either Dallas or Winnipeg. So in the meantime, we offer you the reminder that Los Lobos is playing at the River Cree Casino tonight (officially making that the most epic Los Lobos concert ever), and also go check out The Oil Rig’s socials for the Moss Pit reaction to the Kapanen series-clincher.