The Vegas Golden Knights can capitalize on the Edmonton Oilers woes

If you had a marathon race between Phil Kessel and C.C. Sabathia, who would you pick to win? Many people would go with the former Vegas Golden Knights legend and with good reason. His fuel would be an endless supply of hot dogs while Sabathia would break down after the first quarter mile. Heck, Kessel could even beat Usain Bolt with that type of fuel.

So what does this meaningless race have to do with anything? Well, dear reader, it seems the biggest rival to the Golden Knights is suddenly losing their footing. The Edmonton Oilers are 2-4-1 in their last seven games and haven't won in regulation since January 27. In fact, they've been outscored by a count of 13-6 in the last two games. Edmonton doesn't even look like C.C. Sabathia in terms of running. They look like a tortoise on skates (shoutout to Alex Ovechkin for that Sunday performance).

It doesn't get easier for Connor McDavid and company, who are in the middle of a grueling five-game road trip. Their next three opponents? The Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Carolina Hurricanes. Those three games could reduce McDavid's crew to a mere crawl.

While the main rival has lost three straight games, the Golden Knights have sped off to winning three straight. That includes winning the latter half of a four-game East Coast swing heading into the 4 Nations break. Defeating the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins on the road isn't easy, especially with both teams in a playoff race.

That five-game road trip offers a "golden" opportunity for the Vegas Golden Knights to pull away

Consider this, dear reader. Those three games against tough Eastern Conference opponents could set a close rival back. If they're not careful, everything could collapse as fans in Alberta (not Calgary, of course) look for goaltending options alongside Stuart Skinner. Of course, this isn't likely to happen considering they're a great team. But you're still going to have difficulties beating all three opponents, especially when they're fighting for playoff positioning in the loaded Eastern Conference.

Compare that to the Vegas Golden Knights, who have a tough contest against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. However, they follow that with two days of rest, followed by a home game against the Chicago Blackhawks. While they'll face three playoff teams in the following four games afterward, all four games are at T-Mobile Arena. No, that's not rigged, either.

Jack Eichel and company are 20-6-3 at home this season. That presents a "golden" opportunity to make the most of the Edmonton Oilers slipping up lately. If the heated rivals continue to struggle on their road trip, grabbing a few games on the homestand will provide an ample cushion.

It's not as easy as it sounds, though

While all this sounds like an amazing dream, there's one minor problem: That heated rival has Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Sure, that rival might have goaltending as holey as a church on a Sunday. Yes, their other forwards are as old and slow as Sabathia running to first base. However, the two megastars keep their team in every game.

Therefore, don't expect the Oilers to fumble every game on the trip. After all, these are the reigning Western Conference champions we're talking about here. They came within a game of breaking a decades-long drought in Canada and anointing McDavid as "McJesus Mahomes" (or something like that).

That's why these next five games are crucial for the Golden Knights to win. Getting your key guys to elevate their games is paramount to building that momentum toward another Pacific Division win. It doesn't matter if it's Adin Hill, Jack Eichel, or even Keegan Kolesar. You won't find a better opportunity to get a favorable matchup and set of circumstances for the playoffs than now.

It should be Bruce Cassidy's prerogative to instill a "pedal-to-the-metal" mentality at this point. Move faster on your rushes. Take better care of the puck. Get back to the fundamentals. Rest some guys while you're at it, especially after playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Whatever the situation is, Vegas must put the Pacific Division race out of reach in the upcoming week if current trends continue. Otherwise, fans will get a modern interpretation of the "Tortoise and the Hare."