The Vegas Golden Knights had a chance to strengthen their grip on second place in the Pacific Division on Sunday. Instead, they let a 1-1 tie slip away in the third period, falling 4-2 to the Edmonton Oilers at T-Mobile Arena.
The loss drops the Knights to 2-5 since returning from the Winter Olympics and leaves them searching for answers as their lead in the division standings evaporates. Edmonton tied Vegas in points with the win, though the Oilers hold games in hand.
The game was knotted at 1-1 entering the third period after a tight-checking first two frames. But the Oilers struck three times in the final 20 minutes, with Leon Draisaitl scoring twice and Vasily Podkolzin adding a goal. Kasperi Kapanen also scored into an empty net to seal the victory.
“I’m not frustrated,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You get what you deserve, right?”
Cassidy pointed to the Knights’ inability to sustain their offensive-zone pressure as a key factor. Despite controlling play at 5-on-5 through 40 minutes, Vegas managed only 26 shots on Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram.
“Look at Edmonton’s analytics where they’re weak. Everyone’s scoring on them from the front of the net, rebounds, slot. Put the puck there. Get there,” Cassidy said. “It’s not rocket science.”
The Knights did exactly that in the second period, generating extended cycles and quality chances. But they abandoned the approach in the third, allowing Edmonton to take over.
“To me, it’s not smart to get away from what’s successful and what teams struggle with,” Cassidy said. “We did, and we paid the price.”
Defenseman Noah Hanifin acknowledged the team’s frustration after the loss. “It’s difficult here right now with what’s going on,” he said. “It’s frustrating. There are things that we did tonight that were good.”
The Knights now face a daunting test Tuesday against the Dallas Stars, who enter with a 12-game point streak and are playing like one of the NHL’s top teams. Vegas is running out of time to reverse its slide, with the postseason race tightening by the day.
