EDMONTON, Alberta — The Golden Knights have controlled the special teams battle against the Edmonton Oilers.
They have three power-play goals on 12 opportunities four games into their second-round series, and are 8-for-9 on the penalty kill.
Yet the Knights still trail 3-1 and are one loss from elimination. They’ll try to extend their season with a win in Game 5 on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena.
The Knights needed their power play to come through in their 3-0 loss to the Oilers in Game 4 on Monday. They had no answer for Edmonton’s physicality and suffocating defense at five-on-five.
They couldn’t come up with one on the man advantage, either. The Knights had three power-play opportunities in the first period but put just two shots on goal. They trailed 2-0 at the first intermission and never got back in the game.
“The power play wasn’t a factor,” center Jack Eichel said. “We need to be better at that.”
Failure to capitalize
The Knights had a chance to respond on the man advantage after center Adam Henrique opened the scoring 1:27 into the game.
They got no shots on goal their first power play, but Edmonton captain Connor McDavid had one short-handed.
The Knights got another opportunity after Henrique’s second goal yet couldn’t score again. They at least had two shots and Eichel hit the crossbar.
“We moved it around,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We have possession. We’re just not taking the shot that’s available.”
Cassidy said the Oilers did a better job of taking away the weak-side plays that allowed the Knights to go 3-for-7 on the power play the first two games of the series at home. He believes the team needs to get more shots from the circle to create second-chance opportunities.
“Those are the shots we have to take to break them down,” Cassidy said. “If you can get that shot, get them scrambling, maybe off their feet, then the other plays open up. I thought we got a little stubborn with what was available to us, and they were able to get clears and recover pucks.”
Oilers controlling play
The Knights still have a clear special teams advantage in the series. They’ve been great short-handed. They’ve taken space away from McDavid and center Leon Draisaitl and kept Edmonton’s power play to the perimeter.
The Knights’ problems have been at five-on-five, where they’ve been outscored 13-7. That’s despite the fact that McDavid has only one five-on-five goal, which came in overtime in Game 2.
Edmonton has won with its depth. Nine different skaters have a goal for them at five-on-five. The Knights have only gotten goals from captain Mark Stone, right wing Reilly Smith, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and centers William Karlsson and Nicolas Roy at five-on-five.
The team struggled to generate offense Monday, which led to goaltender Stuart Skinner posting a 23-save shutout after he gave up 15 goals his first three starts of the playoffs.
“We didn’t have a lot of shots,” Smith said. “We didn’t give ourselves enough chances to create rushes and sustain in the offensive zone because of it.”
The Knights need to find answers to keep their season alive. They have to either get better on the power play, or find solutions at five-on-five if they want to extend the series.
“They were better than us in the first period in races and battles,” Cassidy said. “That was including their penalty kill against our power play.”
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
Up next
Who: Oilers at Golden Knights
What: Game 5, second round
When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: T-Mobile Arena
TV: ESPN
Radio: KKGK (1340 AM/98.9 FM)
Line: Knights -130; total 6 1/2
Series schedule
(Oilers lead 3-1)
Game 1: Oilers 4, Golden Knights 2
Game 2: Oilers 5, Golden Knights 4 (OT)
Game 3: Golden Knights 4, Oilers 3
Game 4: Oilers 3, Golden Knights 0
Game 5: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena (ESPN)
*Game 6: Friday at Rogers Place, TBD
*Game 7: Sunday at T-Mobile Arena, TBD
*if necessary
