Golden Knights' Shining Moment Not Enough

In Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, Vegas Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith scored with 0.4 seconds left to lift his team to a 4-3 victory and get back in the series.

Unfortunately, that proved to be virtually the only great moment in the series for Vegas.

The Golden Knights were eliminated following a 1-0 overtime loss at home to the Oilers in Game 5 on Wednesday. Vegas previously had a perfect 5-0 record in the second round, including a six-game win over Edmonton in 2023, but was no match for the defending Western Conference champion this time around.

Throughout the series, the Oilers were simply the better team in the areas where it really mattered, especially in net. Adin Hill was supposed to give Vegas an advantage in net, especially after boasting save percentages above .930 in each of the previous two postseasons, but finished the series with a disappointing .893 save percentage.

Meanwhile, Edmonton's Stuart Skinner, who replaced the injured Calvin Pickard starting in Game 3, had a .944 save percentage and shut Vegas out in Games 4 and 5.

Of course, it's also hard for a team to win when it doesn't score for the final two games of the series, but the scoring problems go beyond that. None of the Golden Knights' top five goal scorers during the regular season — Pavel Dorofeyev, Tomas Hertl, Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden — hit the net during this series. Eichel, who set a franchise record with 94 points (28 goals, 66 assists) during the regular season, led the team in points and assists with five, but his minus-4 rating is especially disappointing for a two-way player like him.

Adding context to both of those problems, the Golden Knights were unable to use their size to dominate in the crease at either end of the ice, which is normally one of their greatest strengths. The Oilers not only scored several goals on net-front battles in front of Hill, but were able to effectively protect the net in front of Pickard or Skinner (for the most part).

The Golden Knights have now won just one series in two years since winning the Stanley Cup in 2023, which isn't necessarily a cause for concern considering all the talent they still have. However, it's easy to see that the depth they've lost since that championship is having an effect.