VEGAS ROLLS AT EDMONTON
Jonathan Marchessault scored his first two goals of the playoffs, Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the host Edmonton Oilers 5-1 on Monday night for a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Zach Whitecloud and Chandler Stephenson also scored for Vegas. Goalie Laurent Brossoit left in pain at 11:44 of the first period after turning away three of four shots. He appeared to injure his left leg sliding across the crease. Adin Hill came on and stopped all 25 shots he saw in relief.
Warren Foegele scored the first goal of the game for Edmonton before the Golden Knights countered with five. Stuart Skinner was pulled in the second period after giving up four goals on 23 shots. Jack Campbell replaced him and made nine saves.
Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is back at Edmonton on Wednesday night, followed by Game 5 on Friday night at Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights took the series opener 6-4 before falling 5-1 at home.
Skinner was removed from Game 4 of Edmonton’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings and the Oilers overcame a three-goal deficit to win in overtime with Campbell in net, but there was no similar comeback this time.
Vegas vowed to spend
more time playing evenstrength, and not give Edmonton’s vaunted power play running at 56 percent the minutes it had in Game 2. The Oilers went 0-for-2 with a man advantage in the game, while Vegas was 0 for 4.
Edmonton center Leon Draisaitl, who came in with 13 goals and four assists in eight playoff games coming in, was held off the scoresheet for the first time Oilers captain Connor McDavid also didn’t record a point for the first time since the series opener against L.A.
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy wanted more puck possession than his team had in Game 2, and the Golden Knights obliged.
They led 2-1 and outshot the Oilers 15-7 after 20 minutes, and then scored three more goals in the second period.
Vegas took a 3-1 lead at 7:25 when Whitecloud skated to the faceoff circle to Skinner’s left and wired a shot over the Edmonton goalie’s glove.
Eichel beat Skinner far side with a wrist shot at 12:03, after Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard fell in the neutral zone to give Eichel a lane. That gave the Golden Knights a three-goal lead and ended Skinner’s night.
Sunday’s late result
Kraken 7, Stars 2: Jordan Eberle sparked a five-goal outburst in the second period with his fourth playoff goal, Philipp Grubauer made 24 saves and host Seattle beat Dallas to take a 2-1 series lead in their Western Conference semifinal.
Eberle was the recipient of an unfortunate bounce, beating Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger at 2:10 of the second period after the puck hit Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen in the face and fell to Eberle’s stick. Heiskanen’s status will be decided before today’s Game 4.
Alex Wennberg scored 1:26 after Eberle’s goal, and Carson Soucy became Seattle’s 16th different goal scorer this postseason.