Oilers Avoid Collapse and Hold On for 4-3 Victory Over Golden Knights

The Edmonton Oilers (18-13-6) hosted the Vegas Golden Knights (16-8-10) on Sunday (Dec. 21). This was their first meeting of the season, and a huge divisional contest, as these teams were separated by just two points in the Pacific Division heading into this matchup, with Vegas having three games in hand. The Oilers avoided a third-period collapse to secure a 4-3 victory over the Golden Knights. Here’s your game recap.

Game Recap

The Oilers opened the scoring 9:11 into the first period. Alec Regula’s stretch pass found Leon Draisaitl, and he passed to Connor McDavid off the rush with speed. He drove hard to the net and tucked the puck past goaltender Carter Hart for his 23rd goal of the season.

Then, the home team extended its lead with a power-play marker 14:37 into the period. Draisaitl found Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with the backdoor feed, and he tapped the puck past Hart for his 9th of the campaign. The Oilers took that lead into the intermission, holding a 12-7 shot advantage.

Edmonton added another power-play goal early in the second period. Draisaitl’s pass ricocheted off Zach Hyman’s skate and landed on McDavid’s stick in the slot. He found Nugent-Hopkins below the right faceoff circle, and he one-timed the puck home for his second of the contest. Edmonton continued to pour it on as Darnell Nurse passed to Hyman in front, and he went backhand, upstairs, for his ninth of the season to extend the lead.

However, the Golden Knights got on the board with a power-play marker of their own 12:59 into the middle frame. Tomas Hertl received Mitch Marner’s pass in the slot and ripped a shot blocker side, upstairs, over goaltender Connor Ingram’s shoulder. The Oilers took that 4-1 lead into the second intermission, holding a slim 18-17 shot advantage.

Carter Hart Vegas Golden Knights Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Edmonton Oilers — Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins watches the puck go past Vegas Golden Knights goalie Carter Hart (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images)

Vegas cut the lead in half with another power-play goal 3:52 in the final frame. The initial shot was stopped, but Pavel Dorofeyev pounced on the juicy rebound and buried it. Shortly after, the Golden Knights made it 4-3. Hertl’s backhand pass was redirected in tight by Marner for his seventh of the season.

Despite that third-period push, the Oilers held on for the win. Ingram stopped 26 of 27 shots for an .897 save percentage (SV%) in his first win with the Oilers, while Hart stopped 17 of 21 shots for an .810 SV% in the loss.

Both teams are back in action on (Dec. 23) against a divisional opponent before the holiday break. The Golden Knights host the San Jose Sharks, and the Oilers host the Calgary Flames. These teams meet again on March 8 in Vegas. Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.