Golden Knights withstand 4 goals from Draisaitl, top Oilers in Game 1

LAS VEGAS --The Vegas Golden Knights withstood a four-goal performance from Leon Draisaitl to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 6-4 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.

Game 2 of the best-of-7 series will be here Saturday.
"It's definitely a different looking team, different system, but we just, overall weren't good enough," Draisaitl said. "It's not even close to how we play and how we successfully play. We've got to move on, and we'll be better."
Ivan Barbashev scored twice, and Mark Stone and Jack Eichel each had a goal and an assist for Vegas, which is the No. 1 seed from the Western Conference. Laurent Brossoit made 23 saves.
"We were terrific," Brossoit said. "Another collective effort from all of us, right up and down the lineup. We had a lot of big nights from a lot of guys. … We took it to them for 60 minutes. I even think the score wasn't necessarily indicative of how well we played."
RELATED: [Complete Golden Knights vs. Oilers series coverage]
Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm each had two assists for Edmonton, which is the No. 2 seed from the Pacific Division. Stuart Skinner made 28 saves.
"I don't think our team was anywhere near what it needed to be to walk away with a road win in the playoffs" Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. "Leon had a great effort. He's been good all playoffs here, but our team can do things a lot better than we did tonight. … We had a chance, but there are things to clean up the goals against."

Draisaitl gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 3:56 of the first period, one-timing a cross-ice pass from McDavid short side from the right circle.
"We had a breakdown," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. "It was acknowledged. We just missed an assignment."
Barbashev responded 40 seconds later at 4:36 to tie it 1-1. He picked up a loose puck in the slot and scored blocker side following a turnover by Vincent Desharnais.
"It's nice, but it goes to the players out there who did a good job creating that goal," Barbashev said. "I score more goals when I'm in front of the net. That's what happened today."

Michael Amadio gave Vegas a 2-1 lead at 9:54, beating Skinner short side under his glove from the right circle on a rush.
Stone then extended the lead to 3-1 at 18:23, deflecting a pass from Reilly Smith on a power play.
Draisaitl cut it to 3-2 with 11 seconds left in the first when he flipped a shot in off the back of Brossoit from below the goal line.
"There are special players who do special things," Cassidy said. "A lot of people are trying that shot now. I think they practice it, from behind the goal line and right at the goal line. Maybe five years ago it's a bad goal and on the goalie, but now it happens a lot. … It's not a good goal, but it's not an egregious one. That's a special talent."
Draisaitl tied it 3-3 with another power-play goal at 1:35 of the third period. He shot into an open net after Hyman slid him the rebound of Bouchard's shot.
Barbashev answered 1:01 later to put Vegas back in front 4-3, redirecting Zach Whitecloud's shot from the point at 2:36.
Chandler Stephenson pushed it to 5-3 at 3:26 with a one-timer from the right circle following a bad line change from the Oilers.
"You like to think that you're comfortable (with a two-goal lead), but you're playing against Edmonton," Stephenson said. "Really no lead is safe."

Draisaitl scored his fourth of the game on a one-timer off a pass from McDavid to cut it to 5-4 at 8:33. He leads the NHL with 11 goals in seven games this postseason.
However, after the Oilers were called for too many men on the ice while trying to pull Skinner, Eichel shot into an empty net at 19:26 for the 6-4 final.
"We used our six [defensemen], we used our four lines. We didn't have to get too far from our line combinations," Cassidy said. "We were good."
NOTES:Draisaitl scored four goals one day after Joe Pavelski did it for the Dallas Stars in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken in Game 1 of that Western Second-Round series. It is the second time in Stanley Cup Playoff history a player has scored four goals on consecutive days (John Tucker and Tony Hrkac on April 9-10, 1988). ... Oilers forward Mattias Janmark left the game at 16:40 of the first period with an undisclosed injury. "I haven't talked to our doctors," Woodcroft said. "We should have an update in the morning."