Although the playoffs are not yet guaranteed for the Edmonton Oilers, the expectation is that they will punch their ticket to the postseason. With that in mind some are already looking towards potential playoff matchups. At this point there are still several possible first round opponents, especially given the struggles of the Pacific Division.
With that said there is one possible opponent that is more likely than the rest, the Vegas Golden Knights. Like the Oilers, the Knights are a perennial contender that has stumbled their way through the regular season. Regardless of their inconsistencies so far, both teams have the talent, experience, and pedigree to be dangerous playoff opponents.
Let’s take a look at the Knights and what a potential matchup with the Oilers might look like.
Forwards
Barbashev—Eichel—Stone
Smith—Marner—Dorofeyev
Howden—Hertl—Kolesar
Smith—Dowd—Sissons
Injured: Karlsson
Extras: Holtz, Bowman
Though perhaps not as deep as in seasons past, the Knights still have a dangerous forward group. The big change over previous seasons is the addition of Mitch Marner, who has been useful despite his relatively modest production. In particular, Marner has shown a new wrinkle to his game, filling in as a centre. This is in large part due to the injury to William Karlsson, who still does not have an official timetable for his return.
Clearly strength down the middle is a priority for the Knights. Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl are clearly strong options, but the theme continues down the lineup. Nick Dowd and Colton Sissons both have centre flexibility, Dowd representing a conscious upgrade to the position at the trade deadline.
Pavel Dorofeyev is the Knights best scorer on the wings, while most of the team’s other options present a degree of physicality or defensive play. Reilly Smith and Mark Stone join Marner as wingers who are known for their defensive prowess. Braeden Bowman is a rookie who has put together a strong campaign, especially while elevated up the lineup.
In all, the Knights have a lot of star power up front. Eichel, Stone, Marner, and Hertl are all highly regarded league-wide, joining forces on the Knights top power play unit. Much has been made about Eichel’s lack of power play goals, but the unit as a whole has been quite efficient. Clearly there is an emphasis on spreading out the offence at even strength, forcing opponents to be wary whichever line is on the ice.
In all, despite a strong power play, the Knights offence has been middling this season. Still, with their top end talent, playoff experience, and overall physicality the Knights will offer a challenge come playoff time. The Knights should be able to translate their offence to the postseason.
Defence
McNabb—Theodore
Hanifin—Korczak
Lauzon—Andersson
Extras: Hutton
With the loss of Alex Pietrangelo it was expected that the Knights blueline would struggle. The team added Rasmus Andersson, who has yet to truly hit his stride as a Knight. Still, there is a lot to work with.
Shea Theodore and Noah Hanifin bring a lot of puck movement, while supported by more defensively inclined defence partners. Braden McNabb might be most steady, while both Ben Hutton and Jeremy Lauzon are serviceable options. The bright spot might be Kaeden Korczak, who has come into his own when the team needed him.
In a sense the Knights have played quite well defensively. They are great at limiting chances from the middle of the ice. Their penalty kill is proficient. There is a chance that Andersson can elevate his game at some point, which would make this group formidable.
Goalies
Hill
Schmid
Injured: Hart
By most accounts, goaltending has been the Knights biggest issue this season. Oilers fans might empathize with this situation, as both teams have similar save percentages overall. By some counts the Knights goaltenders might have authored a slightly worse performance given the defensive performance of their teams.
Adin Hill might be the presumed starter, but this has more to do with reputation than current performance. Akira Schmid earned that status, putting together the second notably strong season of his career. The wild card is Carter Hart, who is back after a long time away due to a high profile court case. Hart is currently injured, but might be able to return come playoff time.
Regardless of how it plays out, the Knights will be hoping for some hot play from one of their goalies. The psyche might be fragile, or perhaps the Knights will simply try to ride the hot hand. It is quite likely that the Knights will start multiple goalies in the first round. All three of their goalies have produced reasonable levels of play in the past, and the Knights will hope their strong defensive game will buy them enough time to figure it out.
Versus the Oilers
There is certainly a degree of familiarity between these teams. Last season, the Oilers bested the Knights in five games in their second round showdown. The Oilers authored a strong defensive performance, virtually dismantling the Knights offence.
There is certainly a degree of animosity between the sides, having spent much of the past handful of seasons as the division favourites. There has been a sense of inevitability for their meeting, and so a first round matchup would be a huge test off the top.
There is no question that the Oilers look like the better team at this moment, yet that would hardly matter come playoff time. While the Oilers might be favoured, the advantage is currently becoming more pronounced. The Oilers seem to be rounding into form in some key areas, while the Knights are going through one of their toughest stretches of the season.
Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire
