The Edmonton Oilers are waking up with a 2-0 series lead, but they’ll also be waking up sore, relieved, and maybe a little dizzy. What started as a statement game turned into a chaotic mess but ended in celebration after a 5-4 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
It was far from perfect. The Oilers built two separate two-goal leads, only to watch both vanish. Their power play sputtered when it mattered most, including a full five-minute opportunity in overtime that generated little more than frustration. Defensive lapses and turnovers kept Vegas alive, and momentum swung wildly all night.
But when the smoke cleared, the Oilers had the last laugh, thanks to their stars delivering when it counted most.
After falling behind early, Edmonton found life through unexpected contributors. Jake Walman and Vasily Podkolzin both buried their first goals of the playoffs, while Darnell Nurse continued his bounce-back postseason with another strong performance and a goal of his own. Evander Kane added to the cushion early in the third, making it 4-2 and seemingly tilting the game in the Oilers’ favor.
Then came the collapse.
Vegas pushed back hard, just like team that won the cup a couple years ago should. Two straight goals, capped by Alex Pietrangelo’s point shot midway through the third, erased the Oilers’ lead and set the stage for a tense finish.
In overtime, the Golden Knights came out flying. Edmonton struggled to get out of its own zone, and Calvin Pickard was forced to stand tall through wave after wave of pressure. A five-minute major on Nicolas Roy for a cross-check gave the Oilers a golden chance to end it, but their road power play continued to misfire, now scoreless in its last 12 attempts.
Still, that failed power play helped tilt the ice back. Eventually, a miscue from Vegas gave Edmonton’s stars the opening they needed. One clean rush, one smooth finish, and the Oilers stole Game 2.
Pickard, despite giving up four, deserves plenty of credit. He made key saves in the final minutes of regulation and weathered the storm in overtime when everything felt like it could slip away.
This wasn’t a masterpiece. It was messy, nerve-wracking, and at times downright ugly. But it was also another win. The Oilers now ride a six-game winning streak back to Rogers Place and have a golden opportunity to take full control of the series in front of their home crowd.
If this is what “winning ugly” looks like, the Oilers will take it and so will the fans waking up smiling this morning.