Yep. A handshake game.

It’s over, the Golden Knights having been eliminated from the postseason by the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 in overtime Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Know this: The Knights were beaten 4-1 in the best-of-seven series by a better team.

The Oilers proved that in the past week. They did more. They made winning plays when it mattered most. They earned another trip to the Western Conference Final.

My goodness, they actually scored.

But what an interesting game for a series finale.

It was as if nobody wanted to make that critical error that led to a deficit. Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said beforehand the key was more about being clean tactically than running off the emotions of an elimination game.

To not make the moment too big and get off your game.

That it was all about going the extra mile.

“I thought we competed hard physically,” Cassidy said. “We wanted to win puck battles. We wanted to take care of the puck. We knew we couldn’t give up any easy goals. That’s going to take away some of your offense. It was tough for both teams and they got one in the end.”

Martinez cranks siren

You would have thought the sight of former Knight Alec Martinez cranking the siren before puck drop would have offered the home team some juice to start.

I mean, Martinez went at that thing big-time. Smiling and screaming the entire time.

But this game wouldn’t get away from either side, and goalies Adin Hill for the Knights and Stuart Skinner for the Oilers kept it that way.

They kept it that way through three periods and into overtime, the tension continuing to build from the announced crowd of 18,288.

And maybe this is the way it was supposed to be for a team facing an early summer. Nothing easy.

“Unfortunately, we lost too many close games,” center William Karlsson said. “That was the difference. We don’t score the last two games. That’s the difference.

“Every year you don’t win, it feels like a year wasted. I believe in this team. We got knocked out. Hopefully in a few days I’ll look forward to next year.”

So the Knights end their season getting shut out by Skinner in back-to-back games. Not ideal by any means.

Injured Knights captain Mark Stone didn’t play, and the top five goal scorers in the regular season had zero in the series. That hurts.

Which means The Great Kasperi Kapanen — who scored 7:19 into overtime and ended the Knights’ season — had more goals than those five. More than Pavel Dorofeyev and Jack Eichel and Brett Howden and Ivan Barbashev and Tomas Hertl.

“We wanted to win,” Karlsson said. “We really tried to win. I think that shows. Unfortunately, they scored.”

One thing the loss won’t do is end this rivalry between Pacific Division teams.

It won’t come close to doing so.

In appreciation

“No disrespect to the other teams, but we feel like we’re the two kings of the division,” Cassidy said Wednesday morning. “We’ll have to go through each other to move forward. This is probably not a one-off. Whatever our team looks like will probably be back here next year, and I’m sure they feel the same way.

“Nothing new here. It’s something you have to embrace. This won’t be the last time these two teams are going to meet and get to where they want to go. Show up, put your best foot forward and see what happens.”

This is what happened Wednesday: At game’s end, after the traditional handshake line, Knights players circled center ice and waved their sticks to the crowd in appreciation.

A “Go Knights Go!” chant rang down.

Another season had come to an end.

Fact: It concluded against a better team.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at [email protected]. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.