'Do or die': Las Vegas Golden Knights fight to stay alive in playoffs against Edmonton Oilers

Field Level Media

· Posted: May 14, 2025 12:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Despite facing a 3-1 spread successful their best-of-seven Western Conference second-round series, the Vegas Golden Knights aren't lacking assurance heading into Wednesday night's Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers successful Las Vegas.

"We did it past series," Vegas guardant Reilly Smith said of winning 3 consecutive games. "We person a batch of religion successful this group. Just instrumentality it 1 astatine a time."

The Golden Knights did rally from a 2-1 shortage to sound disconnected the Minnesota Wild successful six games successful the archetypal round, winning 2 of the last 3 games successful overtime.

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The quality this clip is that there's nary country for mistake against an Edmonton squad that is 15-2 successful Games 4-7 implicit the past 2 playoffs.

"It's bash oregon dice now," Knights prima centre Jack Eichel said.

The Oilers won Games 1 and 2 successful Las Vegas earlier the Golden Knights rallied for a 4-3 triumph astatine Edmonton, winning connected a Smith extremity with 0.4 seconds left.

The Oilers bounced backmost from that bitter nonaccomplishment to blank Vegas 3-0 successful Game 4 connected Monday arsenic goalie Stuart Skinner turned speech 23 shots for his 2nd vocation playoff shutout.

The crippled wasn't that close. Adam Henrique scored doubly successful the archetypal 13:03 and Evander Kane made it 3-0 with a extremity aboriginal successful the 2nd period. Midway done the game, Vegas had conscionable 10 shots connected goal.

No astonishment past that the Golden Knights, who besides fell down 2-0 to statesman Game 3, are stressing the value of a speedy commencement connected Wednesday.

"We person to commencement better," Vegas manager Bruce Cassidy said.

"This is simply a mates games present wherever we're chasing it. ... Make definite we're connected our toes. I don't deliberation determination were capable players connected their toes, acceptable to go. That volition beryllium measurement 1 successful Game 5, marque definite we propulsion the envelope aboriginal and get to our crippled quicker."

"We were astir apt a small spot passive and didn't enactment them connected their heels enough," Eichel said. "I deliberation we request to beryllium much assertive offensively, effort to unit them to marque mistakes connected their breakouts and get pucks back, and past marque plays erstwhile we person opportunities, and get pucks to the net."

Edmonton manager Kris Knoblauch was asked astir the value of trying to adjacent retired the bid connected Wednesday.

"I don't deliberation we're looking astatine however galore games near that we person successful the series," Knoblauch said.

"It's a one-game mentality. [After] we mislaid Game 3 the mode we did, it was hide astir it and determination connected to the adjacent one. Obviously, there's a batch of benefits of winning that adjacent game. One, you don't springiness that accidental for Vegas to enactment unneurotic a drawstring of wins."

Knoblauch gave his squad the time disconnected connected Tuesday earlier flying to Las Vegas.

"No meetings today," Knoblauch said. "As a coach, you tin lone bash truthful much. You don't privation to overcoach. I deliberation contiguous is simply a bully time for the guys to measurement away, bask the triumph past night, and time they'll get the connection of what we request to do."

The connection is wide for the Golden Knights.

"You're astatine home, Game 5," Eichel said. "You triumph a crippled and spell from there. It's each that matters astatine this point."