Three Reasons Why The Oilers Should Want To Play Vegas In The First Round
With the first round matchups not set in stone yet. I think Vegas is the team the Oilers will want to play in first.
With the Edmonton Oilers having only 5 games left this season and having already clinched a playoff spot and most likely at least top 2 in the Pacific, it is time for me to take a look at which team would be better suited for the Edmonton Oilers to play in the first round.
Right now as it sits there are quite a few different options on who the Edmonton Oilers can play in the first round and they all ride on these last 5 games. If the Oilers pull ahead of the Vancouver Canucks then the Oilers would end up playing the top Wild Card spot, which is held right now by the Nashville Predators and looks like.
If they fail to pass the Canucks then they will play the 3rd place team in the Pacific, which is still up for battle between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Los Angeles Kings. Depending on how these teams do down the stretch will determine that outcome.
The question now stands, which team would the Oilers rather play? I think the Edmonton Oilers would much rather face the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights and Oilers have had almost exact opposite seasons. Where the Oilers struggled at the start the Knights were excellent. Now the Oilers are playing good hockey and the Knights are struggling.
Even though the Knights have the playoff pedigree of winning the cup last season I believe that they are the team the Oilers want to face first. Here are the three reasons why I think that is the case
Edmonton Oilers Have Learned From Their Mistakes
In last year's series against the Knights, the Oilers were the better team in most of the games, but bad plays with the puck gifted the Knights goals. To add to that it was often goals scored against in bunches that hurt the Oilers last year.
When the Oilers were losing games early in the season this is the type of mistake they were making. They would play a solid 50 minutes, but they would play terribly for 10 and that 10 minutes would ruin their whole game. Since Knoblauh has taken over this hasn't been as much of an issue for this team. Sure they have done it, but not even close to as often.
This postseason if they do face the Golden Knights the Oilers will have the experience of the last time they played them fresh in their minds. They know how they beat them they just need to not beat themselves and the way the Oilers look right now they are not going to beat themselves.
Banged Up Golden Knights
Now I make this point with a little bit of haste in my head, because there is a part of me that thinks that as soon as the playoff starts everyone is going to all of a sudden be healthy for the Golden Knights. I don't know how a lacerated spleen heals itself overnight, but I'm sure the team doctors in Vegas could do it if anyone could.
Now that is off my chest I honestly don't think that Mark Stone is going to be able to play in the playoffs and if he does it will not be till later. This is another reason why you want to face the Knights in the first round. The longer the Knights can limp their way through the playoffs the more likely Stone is to come back.
Stone is this team's leader off and on the ice, if the Oilers face the Knights without Stone in the lineup that would be a huge advantage to them as he has the ability to get the Knights to play better around him. He plays for the team, not himself as he is one of the better two-way players in the game.
Stone is not the only injury plaguing the Knights right now either. They are also missing Alex Pietrangelo, Chandler Stephenson, Nicolas Roy and William Carrier. So the sooner you face this team the easier it will be to beat them. I mean look at the game they just played, the Oilers won 5-1 and they didn't even have Connor McDavid.
Non-Elite Goaltending
When it comes to the first-round match-ups for the Oilers the only team that I am truly worried about their goaltending is the Nashville Predators. That is because Juuse Saros is one of the better goalies in the league. He doesn't need to get hot to steal a game as regular Sarros can steal any game.
The same can not be said for Adin Hill. When Hill plays an average game he is just that, average. Last year in the playoffs he caught lightning in a bottle and played his best-ever hockey. This season he has not been nearly as good as he was on the run.
Hill is also coming off an injury which may affect the way he plays. Once again look at the last game against the Oilers he allowed 5 goals on 28 shots. Those numbers do not scare me if I am an Oilers fan or player. The Knights indeed had lots of injured players that if were healthy would have limited the Oilers, but till they are back in the lineup it is a moot point.
Condors' Lane Pederson named IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year. dark. NEXT. Condors' Lane Pederson named IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year
There are still those 5 games left to figure out who plays who in the first round. Of the teams most likely to play the Oilers I think it is still the Knights. For me, that would be a perfect matchup for the Oilers as they could slay the demon of last year's run as well as the reigning Cup Champion early which would give this team the boost to lift the Stanley Cup.