GAME RECAP: Golden Knights 3, Oilers 1

LAS VEGAS, NV – Your record is safe for now, 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Edmonton Oilers had one of the greatest winning streaks in NHL history snapped on Tuesday with a 3-1 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights, ending their 16-game stretch without a loss that started before Christmas on Dec. 21 in New Jersey.

The Oilers outshot the Golden Knights 31-26 in the low-scoring, playoff-like battle, but Vegas goaltender Adin Hill stood in their way of matching the Penguins record, much like he did last spring when he came on in relief to lead the Sin City squad to a series win in their Western Conference semifinal showdown.

Connor McDavid's shorthanded goal was the only blemish on Hill's otherwise perfect performance, while Chandler Stephenson scored the game-winner for Vegas early in the third period.

"Their goalie played well and made some big saves," said McDavid, who played 22:26 and had a game-high eight shots, four more than any other player on either team. "It's always a tough game in this building. We were expecting that. It's disappointing, but we move on."

Natural Stat Trick had the Oilers leading high-danger scoring chances 16-8 on the night.

"We couldn't bear down on our chances. I felt," Mattias Ekholm said. "It was a tight game. Could have gone either way. I thought we played pretty good. I think there's another level to our game, but at the same time, I thought everybody showed up and worked hard and we just couldn't get it done tonight."

FIRST PERIOD

The Oilers didn't get the immediate start they wanted as Dylan Holloway was called for a high-sticking infraction 2:37 into the game, but not only did they kill off the penalty, they tallied the opening goal as well with a shorthanded beauty from their all-star duo.

In the waning seconds of Holloway's penalty, Head Coach Kris Knoblauch sent McDavid and Leon Draisaitl over the boards, with the move paying immediate dividends. Vincent Desharnais used his 6-foot-7 reach to knock a Vegas zone entry attempt up the ice, springing the superstars on an uncontest two-on-none rush, with Draisaitl dishing to McDavid for a low shot through Hill's pads.

Fresh off his trip to Toronto where he won Friday's NHL All-Star Skills Competition, the Oilers captain had his 21st tally and 68th point of the season, which was also his fifth goal in his last four games. McDavid's first shorthanded marker of the season was the eighth of his career after he scored a career-high four on the PK in 2022-23.

Despite some difficulties clearing the puck earlier in the kill, the Oilers shorthanded squad came up with yet another successful stint – their 45th in 48 attempts since the start of the winning streak.

The Golden Knights got on the board with 1:54 to go in the opening frame as Nicolas Roy knocked in a rebound in tight past Stuart Skinner following a point shot through traffic by Alex Pietrangelo.

"I think a big turning point in the game was the late goal that they scored in the first period," Knoblauch said. "Then just for us, just missed opportunities, whether it's goal posts or their goalie coming up big. But I think the chances were there and it's probably one of our better games that we've played in the last probably two or three weeks."

SECOND PERIOD

Evan Bouchard came within an inch or two of re-establishing the Oilers lead with the team on the power play seven minutes into the second period, but his Bouch Bomb blast from the point clanged off the inside of the post and shot across the crease behind Hill out of harm's way to keep the game tied.

A Warren Foegele holding-the-stick penalty negated the rest of that PP, but Edmonton's PK prowess continued with yet another successful kill to make it 46 of their last 49 for a 93.9 percent clip.

The teams continued to battle throughout the middle frame, and Edmonton had a dominant one-minute stretch in the Vegas zone with less than two to play in the period, as the RNH-McDavid-Hyman line with Bouchard and Ekholm created a menacing cycle but couldn't convert the go-ahead tally.

THIRD PERIOD

Vegas pulled ahead 2-1 at the 1:24 mark of the period as Edmonton's other 2023 playoff nemesis Jonathan Marchessault found Stephenson for a one-timer that beat Skinner top shelf on his blocker side. The goal came shortly after Hill denied Evander Kane on the doorstep on a setup by Draisaitl.

Draisaitl had a glorious scoring chance of his own with eight minutes remaining as he executed a give-and-go play with Ekholm on a three-on-two breakout that also included McDavid. However, Hill slid across his crease to deny Draisaitl's quick shot with his pad and keep Vegas ahead 2-1.

Still searching for the equalizer, the Oilers pulled Skinner in favour of the extra attacker with 2:25 to go in the game. They then called a timeout with 51.5 seconds on the clock, but William Karlsson collected the empty-net dagger to complete the win for the home side.

"We're disappointed that we lost tonight," McDavid said. "It's been a while since we've done that and you forget sometimes how bad you hate losing. It's a good reminder."

The win put Vegas seven points up on the Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division, but Edmonton has five games in hand on them and remains three points up with two games in hand on the Los Angeles Kings, who they'll end the road trip against on Saturday.

Next up is a date with the Ducks in Anaheim on Friday when they'll look to start a new streak.

"We did an exceptional job to be in the position where we are right now," Knoblauch said. "We have some breathing room right now and we're not happy, we're not content. We want to move up in the standings, whether that's second place in the Pacific, maybe first. Who knows what happens with another streak?"