May 9, 2025 by Ryan Lotsberg

Once again, the Edmonton Oilers fell behind in Game 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights. Victor Olofsson opened the scoring with his first of two powerplay goals on the night. The Oilers only let the lead get to one though. The five-on-five high danger chances were 11-0 in favour of the Golden Knights in the second period, but the Oilers outscored them 3-1 in the middle frame and took a 3-2 lead into the third period. The Oilers extended the lead to 4-2 early in the third period, but the Golden Knights ended up tying the game thanks to Olofsson’s second powerplay goal of the game and an Alex Pietrangelo point shot that found a way to the back of the net.

Overtime was needed. The Golden Knights started strong in the overtime period, but then Nicolas Roy got a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking Trent Frederic in the face. To the Golden Knights’ credit, they found a way to kill off that penalty. They couldn’t fully swing the momentum back in their favour after that kill though. The Oilers hit two goal posts on incredible chances near the net. Just when Oilers fans thought that it might not be their night, familiar heroes emerged. Connor McDavid got a chance to carry speed through the neutral zone, made Jack Eichel look silly at the Golden Knights blue line, and slid it over to Leon Draisaitl for the overtime winner. The cardiac Oilers struck again!

Callouts

The Oilers lost the special teams battle in Game 2. The Golden Knights went 2/4 on the powerplay, and the Oilers went 0/3. That included a five-minute powerplay in overtime which yielded just one great scoring chance. The powerplay struggled to create chances throughout the game. One more kill would’ve ended the game in regulation time.

Standouts

I’m going a different direction than usual for my standouts for Game 2. Vasily Podkolzin had a goal and a primary assist in the second period. He gave Jake Walman a perfect pass for a one-timer that got the Oilers on the board. Podkolzin picked up the puck just outside his own blue line and went for a skate. He cut to the middle on Zach Whitecloud then buried a heavy wrist shot to give the Oilers a 2-1 lead. His first goal of the playoffs puts him at six points in the eight playoff games the Oilers have played. Podkolzon didn’t enjoy a run of offensive success like this in the regular season. He’s being rewarded for his dogged checking and physical play.

Calvin Pickard has made many appearances in the next section in these playoffs, but he was a standout in Game 2. The numbers aren’t flattering, but he made a lot of high quality saves when the Oilers needed them. The game might not have gone to overtime if not for Pickard. He’s now 6-0 in the playoffs.

Shoutouts

There’s something that Walman likes about T-Mobile Arena. His first goal as an Oiler came in that building on April 1, 2025, and he scored his first career playoff goal there on Thursday night. Both goals came on slap shots from just above the left circle on the same side of the ice in the second period of both games. Walman added five blocked shots and a hit in 21:58 of ice time, and he was on the ice for three five-on-five goals for versus just one against.

Evander Kane scored a goal and found himself in the mix often. He took a goaltender interference penalty, but he also took a Golden Knight to the box with him as a result of the pile up that occurred after that play. Kane had three shots and five hits in 21:10 of ice time.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Viktor Arvidsson both had two assists in the game as well.

Wrap

Game 2 ended somewhat controversially. Arvidsson and Braydon McNabb had a race to a loose puck in the corner behind the Golden Knight’s net. Arvidsson reached for the puck with his stick, but his stick went between McNabb’s legs, and McNabb fell awkwardly into the boards. McNabb left the game with an apparent upper body injury. There was no call on the play. It was definitely a penalty that should have been called, but the Golden Knights didn’t get it. Draisaitl ended the game shortly after that non-call. 

The goal was not a direct result of the non-call. It’s not like the Oilers scored while McNabb was laying on the ice injured. The non-call would’ve been maddening, but as Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game, you have to keep playing despite whatever happens. Even if Vegas had gotten the call, there’s no guarantee that they would’ve scored on that powerplay, and there’s no guarantee that they would’ve won.

That makes six straight comeback wins for the Oilers, which is an extension of a record that they set in Game 1. The cardiac Oilers found a way to get both games on the road to open the series, which is always huge for a low seed. The Oilers are in the driver’s seat as the series shifts to Edmonton. Game 3 goes on Saturday night at Rogers Place.

Related: Callouts, Standouts, and Shoutouts: Oilers steal the show in Vegas in Game 1