GAME PREVIEW: Edmonton Oilers @ Vegas Golden Knights

Edmonton Oilers (4-0-0), 1st Pacific @

Vegas Golden Knights (1-2-0), 8th Pacific

22 October 2021

T Mobile Arena

8 PM MST

TV: Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet One

Radio: 630 CHED

SB Nation Opponent: Knights On Ice

FIVE ALIVE?

Connor McDavid scored his 200th (and 201st) career goal, Zach Hyman had a pair of special teams goals and Mikko Koskinen turned aside 27 out of 28 shot en route to Edmonton’s fourth win in a row. Warren Foegele kicked off the scoring late in the first with his first goal of the season. Zach Hyman would bury a shorthanded goal early in the second, while Connor McDavid kept pouring it on with his 200th career goal just two minutes later. McDavid and Hyman would each add another goal to push Edmonton’s final goal tally to 5. Only former Oil King Dysin Mayo would be able to solve Mikko Koskinen en route to Koskinen’s second win of the season.

The Oilers take care of business in Arizona, they now head to Vegas to face a Golden Knights club that has struggled a bit to start the season.

Can the Oilers make it five in a row with a win tonight?

Let’s go to the tape.

THE OILERS ARE SAYING

“It’s been a good start for our group, and when the team has success, individuals have success, and I think you’re seeing that throughout the lineup...”

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That’s Oilers captain Connor McDavid on Edmonton’s 4-0 start.

Good things happen when your team scores goals. Everything is going in the net right now for the Oilers, which is great. The goaltending has held up early, and so far, so good.

THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS ARE SAYING

“This is a league where it’s the first team to three usually...We’ve got to find three goals a night, someway somehow.”

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That’s Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer after dropping a 3-1 loss to St. Louis on Wednesday night.

Getting to three goals has been a struggle for the Golden Knights early in this young season. They’ve put up just seven goals so far, ranking them 23rd in the league in goals per game. More on that in a minute.

HAVE SOME OF THIS

• JP13: The price of poker goes up every week. Puljujarvi earned the primary assist on Connor McDavid’s 200th goal and he tied up two Coyotes while doing it. Ken Holland’s best work as Oilers GM was keeping this player in the fold. Eight years. Let’s go.
• MCDAVID: Three more points (2-1-3) for the best player in the world, he has 11 points through his first four games. McDavid scored his 200th and 201st career goals in Edmonton’s 5-1 win. It’s his world, we’re just living in it.
• A THIRD LINE? The Foegele-Ryan-Kassian line might be a hit. Warren Foegele scored his first goal of the season on a short pass from Zack Kassian to open the scoring. Go back to the Anaheim game with RNH hit an open Zack Kassian for Kassian’s first of the season. It seems like forever since the Oilers had three working lines. Maybe Foegele-Ryan-Kassian is that jam.
• HY, MAN: Zach Hyman puts up another two goals last night including a beautiful shorty early in the second; you could say that he’s started the season very well so far having averaged a point per game. (3-1-4)
• NET GAINS: Expect Mikko Koskinen (2-0-0, .959 SV% / 1.37 GAA) to get his second start in as many nights. For the Golden Knights, look for Robin Lehner to get the nod (1-2-0, .909 SV% / 3.47 GAA). Vegas’ other option in net is former Oiler Laurent Brossoit, who has yet to start a game in this young season.
• KNIGHTS OUT: The Golden Knights have been hampered by a few key injuries so far. Forward Alex Tuch is out recovering from shoulder surgery. Defenceman Alec Martinez is out tonight after the Knights brought up Daniil Miromanov from Henderson, while forwards Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty are both out with lower body injuries.