Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 6th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The top-ranked Vegas Golden Knights have had a few days off to get ready for a two-game trip that kicks off Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers.
The game in Alberta will mark the first encounter this season between the Pacific Division teams, who are expected to compete for dominance in the division.
Vegas has shown extreme differences in their performance at home and on the road: The team boasts a perfect 8-0-0 record at home, but has struggled with a 0-3-1 record on the road.
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The eight consecutive home wins tie a franchise record. The Golden Knights achieved this milestone with Brett Howden's overtime goal in a 4-3 victory over the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday.
While Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy was pleased with Howden's game-winning goal, the standout performance of Noah Hanifin was at the top of his list.
The 27-year-old defenseman, born in Boston, scored a goal and had two assists against Utah after going the entire month of October without a goal and only three assists - meaning he matched his point production from last month in just one game.
Cassidy said, "It was crucial for (Hanifin) to find his offensive game. That's something he relies on and expects to bring to the team. Personally, it meant a lot to him to score."
The Oilers are still without their superstar Connor McDavid, who is recovering from an ankle injury. Their struggles continued in Monday's 3-0 shutout loss at home against the New Jersey Devils, with the Devils scoring once in each period and keeping the red-hot Leon Draisaitl off the scoreboard.
Part of the issue for Edmonton has been a slow start to the new season after their second-place finish to the Florida Panthers in last year's Stanley Cup Final.
The Oilers suffered three losses in a row, being outscored 15-3 by the Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, and Calgary Flames, but they were able to get some revenge against their provincial rivals on Sunday night.
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Playing without McDavid, Edmonton took an early lead and defeated the Flames 4-2, extending their winning streak in Calgary to seven games, including the 2022 playoffs.
As expected, in McDavid's absence, coach Kris Knoblauch's team has relied heavily on the consistently elite play of Draisaitl, who is off to a strong start and could potentially reach 100 points again this season.
In the first 13 games, the German center has already accumulated 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) - a pace that would put him at the century mark.
However, the focus remains on McDavid, who participated in an optional skate on Monday and feels like he is ahead of schedule in his recovery. The team initially estimated that he would be out for two to three weeks after sustaining the injury on October 28th against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
McDavid said, "When it first happened, I was definitely worried that it might be something more serious. But luckily, I received good news and I've been doing everything I can to make it feel better."
Knoblauch emphasized the competitive nature of the game's most dynamic player in his rehabilitation process.
"He's a competitor," Knoblauch said. "He wants to be on the ice and he wants to help the team win. He knows his body and the doctors have given him their medical advice. Ultimately, it will come down to when the doctors believe it's best for him to return."
McDavid could potentially make his return on Saturday when the Oilers face off against the Vancouver Canucks on Hockey Night in Canada.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers Recap APR 10TH 2024
Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and an assist and Stuart Skinner made 18 saves as the host Edmonton Oilers cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night.
Cody Ceci, Mattias Ekholm and Dylan Holloway also scored goals and Ryan McLeod and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each chipped in with two assists for Edmonton (48-24-5, 101 points), which played without reigning league MVP and scoring champion Connor McDavid.
McDavid, who leads the league with 99 assists and is third with 130 points, sustained a lower-body injury near the end of Edmonton's 4-2 victory at Calgary on Saturday. He is listed as day-to-day.
Skinner improved to 22-5-3 in home games this season.
Keegan Kolesar scored a short-handed goal for Vegas (42-28-8, 92 points), which dropped its third consecutive game. Adin Hill, playing for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury on March 23 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, finished with 21 saves.
Edmonton took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. Ceci saw his crossing pass from near the right boards carom into the net off the skate of Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez for his fourth goal of the season.
The Oilers extended the lead to 3-0 with goals on consecutive shots in the second period.
Ekholm, left alone in the middle of the left circle, scored at 5:38 when he blasted a slap shot over Hill's left shoulder for his career-high 11th goal.
Hyman, alone in front of the crease, scored at 8:06. He swept in a rebound of a Nugent-Hopkins shot into a wide-open right side of the net for his 53rd goal, moving him into a tie for second in the league with the Florida Panthers' Sam Reinhart.
Draisaitl made it 4-0 at 6:50 of the third period with Edmonton's first five-on-three power-play goal of the season, one-timing a shot from the right circle for his 41st.
Kolesar broke up Skinner's shutout bid a minute later with a breakaway goal, the second short-handed goal of his career.
Holloway increased the lead to 5-1 midway through the period when he picked up a loose puck behind the net and quickly wrapped a shot around the right post for his fourth goal.
Vegas center Chandler Stephenson was a late scratch for what the team called personal reasons.