McDavid, Oilers primed for 'measuring game' against Golden Knights

EDMONTON -- By their own admission, the Edmonton Oilers needed time to get over being eliminated by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Second Round last season.

So the Oilers are very much eager to host the Golden Knights in their first meeting this season, at Rogers Place on Tuesday (9 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNW, SCRIPPS).

“It’s a big game, it’s a measuring game for us to see where we’re at against one of the League’s best if not the League’s best,” Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said. “It’s a good measuring stick game for us and something that we should be looking forward to.”

Though the stakes will not be as high as they were in May, each team has plenty to play for in the first of three meetings this season. Edmonton is trying to claw back into the Western Conference playoff race and Vegas is trying to maintain the top spot in the Pacific Division.

“It’ll be a really competitive game,” Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “They’re a good team and they’ve got some high offensive players, obviously. It’s a quick turnaround; get a rest [Monday night] and get ready for [Tuesday].”

Last season, the battle for top spot in the Pacific Division came down to the wire between the Oilers and Golden Knights. Vegas was able to hold off Edmonton and win the division by two points, finishing with a franchise-high 111 points (51-22-9). The Oilers finished second with 109 points (50-23-9) and the two teams met in the second round, their first-ever playoff matchup.

After a split of the first four games, Edmonton felt it was in a good spot to take control of the best-of-7 series, up 2-1 in the second period of Game 5 before Vegas scored two power-play goals 29 seconds apart and scored again a minute later on the way to a 4-3 win and 3-2 series lead. Vegas ended the series with a 5-2 win in Game 6, then eliminated the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final and won its first Stanley Cup, defeating the Florida Panthers in the Final.

Fast forward to now, and the fact there is a 16-point gap in the Pacific standings between the Golden Knights and seventh-place Oilers gives Edmonton more urgency.

“There is going to be a lot made of it because we played them in the playoffs last season,” Edmonton defenseman Darnell Nurse said. “But in the same token, for us as a team, we’re at the point where we have to worry about ourselves.”

The Oilers (7-12-1) have won two straight, 5-0 at the Washington Capitals on Friday, which ended a three-game losing streak (0-3-0), and 8-2 against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. Edmonton is 4-3-0 under coach Kris Knoblauch, who took over after Jay Woodcroft was fired Nov. 12 following a 3-9-1 start to the season.

After flying to an 11-0-1 start out of the gate, Vegas (14-5-3) is 3-5-2 in its past 10 games, including 1-2-2 in its past five following a 2-1 overtime loss at the Calgary Flames on Monday.

“Every team is a really good team in this league," Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. "I think we found that out pretty early that there are no easy games and that you have to bring your A-game every night. Vegas is obviously a really good team, defending champs and they knocked us out. I am looking forward to it.”

The Golden Knights expect a tough encounter, knowing the Oilers will be looking for a measure of revenge.

“Obviously I think it's going to be high emotions,” Vegas forward Nicolas Roy said. “Last time we played them was in the playoffs and it was a great series. I expect a big game. On our side, we have to bounce back from [Monday] and play a better game than we have been doing the last couple games.”

Edmonton began the season 1-5-1. A four-game losing streak following a 5-2 win against the Flames in the 2023 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium on Oct. 29 cost Woodcroft and assistant Dave Manson their jobs, replaced by Knoblauch and Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey.

Knoblauch has benefited from the resurgence of McDavid, who has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in his past two games and 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in a four-game point streak.

McDavid sustained an upper-body injury in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 21 and sat out the next two games. The reigning Hart Trophy winner and five-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL leading scorer returned for the Heritage Classic, but struggled, by his high offensive standards, with two assists in his next six games.

The lack of production from the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft was a reason for The Oilers' early struggles, which dropped them to 31st in the League after a 3-2 loss at the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 9. The loss to the rebuilding Sharks prompted the coaching change, which has seen Edmonton make subtle adjustments to its style of play.

“The team game has definitely been simpler, something that we talked about,” McDavid said. “I think guys have done a great job of buying into that. We’re a good forechecking team and when we used that to our strength, we can make it a half-ice game pretty quick. That’s something that we need to keep doing.”

-- NHL independent correspondent Aaron Vickers contributed to this report