The experiment lasted two games.
The Golden Knights had some success mixing things up. But they’re going back to the forward lines they know best to start Thursday’s Game 2 against the Edmonton Oilers at T-Mobile Arena.
Coach Bruce Cassidy loaded up his top line for two games by putting William Karlsson at left wing next to center Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone. Karlsson, after the Knights’ 4-2 loss in Game 1 on Tuesday, was back at center for Wednesday’s practice between left wing Brett Howden and right wing Reilly Smith.
Left wing Ivan Barbashev took the vacant spot next to Eichel and Stone.
“When you put Karly there, he drives a line,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You put him in another place, you miss that element. He’s always been good with whoever he plays with, so he’s going to pull people along.”
Cassidy broke up his top group to try to give the Knights more balance.
He kept Karlsson, Eichel and Stone together entering the Oilers series to counter Edmonton’s star-studded top line featuring captain Connor McDavid and left wing Leon Draisaitl.
McDavid played 17:09 at five-on-five in Game 1, according to the website Natural Stat Trick. Eichel was on the ice for 11:04 of that.
McDavid and Eichel — who were selected first and second, respectively, in the 2015 NHL draft — pretty much fought to a draw.
The Oilers had a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal when the two shared the ice at five-on-five and goals were 1-1.
The Knights’ struggles came with everyone else. Edmonton scored three even-strength goals and allowed none when Eichel and McDavid were both on the bench. Splitting up Eichel and Karlsson should lengthen the lineup.
“You have to keep playing. We have to keep pushing,” Hertl said. “When you give these guys like McDavid and Draisaitl time and space, they can do a lot of damage. We have to learn from it, but it’s still a lot of games left.”
Dominant second period
The Oilers, with McDavid and Draisaitl playing a large role, controlled play from the second period on Tuesday. They had an 18-7 edge in shots on goal the final 40 minutes.
Edmonton looked sharp despite being outscored 1-0 on special teams in Game 1. It was the inverse of the second-round series between the two teams in 2023, when the Knights outscored the Oilers 18-9 at even strength to make up for the fact they were outscored 10-4 on special teams.
Cassidy said Edmonton started to find its rush game in the second period Tuesday and his team didn’t create enough sustained pressure in the offensive zone.
“Every good team has four lines. If they can roll over and they’re coming and they’re not stuck in their own end, they’re going to do some damage,” Cassidy said.
Bouncing back
The Oilers didn’t score in the second period, but they struck three times in the third to earn their fifth straight comeback win.
The Knights don’t need to panic. They trailed 2-1 in their first-round series against Minnesota before winning three straight. But they hope balancing their lineup a little more can help them earn a split before they head to Edmonton for Saturday’s Game 3.
It’s unclear whether the Knights will get any reinforcements before Game 2 on Thursday. Right wing Pavel Dorofeyev (undisclosed) and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (illness) didn’t practice Wednesday after sitting out Game 1. Cassidy said both are considered day to day.
“It’s a long series. It’s seven games,” defenseman Noah Hanifin said. “I think last night, there were definitely some things we can improve on, which is a good thing. We can correct that and bring a better game tomorrow.”
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Oilers at Golden Knights
What: Game 2, second round (Oilers lead 1-0)
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: T-Mobile Arena
TV: ESPN
Radio: KKGK (1340 AM/98.9 FM)
Line: Knights -140; total 6 1/2
Series schedule
Game 1: Oilers 4, Golden Knights 2
Game 2: 6:30 p.m. Thursday at T-Mobile Arena (ESPN)
Game 3: 6 p.m. Saturday at Rogers Place (TNT)
Game 4: 6:30 p.m. Monday at Rogers Place (TNT)
*Game 5: May 14 at T-Mobile Arena, TBD
*Game 6: May 16 at Rogers Place, TBD
*Game 7: May 18 at T-Mobile Arena, TBD
*if necessary
