Vegas Golden Knights storylines to keep in mind for Round 2 against the Edmonton Oilers

With so many teams in the NHL it can be difficult to keep up with the minutiae across the league. Now that the Edmonton Oilers are set to square off against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round of the playoffs, fans across Oilers Country will be turning their attention to Knights.

Let’s catch up on what the storylines surrounding the Knights are from the source, Knights fans themselves.

Wild start, Cassidy cool

The Knights fell behind early in their first round series against the Minnesota Wild. For a Knights fan base that has been spoiled with success, staring down a potential first round series loss to a Wild Card team that limped into the playoffs is a concerning feeling. 

Understandably tensions were high, with many Knights fans criticizing several areas of their team. As the highest paid player Jack Eichel and his early series scoring drought were in the firing line. Starting goalies Adin Hill was drawing ire for being outplayed by Wild starter Filip Gustavsson. The Wild might have seemed the more fiery and hungry team, the Knights more methodical. 

In the end, it was some instant chemistry from lineup adjustments that helped turn the tide of the series. Knights Coach Bruce Cassidy is widely thought to have out coached his Minnesota counterpart in round one because of these adjustments. Perhaps the Knights experience and composure can be mistaken for a lack of effort by frustrated fans. 

Blueline turnovers from the Knights

The Wild were able to exploit the Knights with a fierce forecheck, forcing the Knights defencemen into turnovers and errors. The Knights blueline has a strong reputation, but fans are rarely patient for mistakes from defencemen. Most, if not all the Knights defencemen have been criticized, from complementary players such as Nick Hague to stars like Shea Theodore. In particular Noah Hanifin has had some tougher moments this season, perhaps enough for some fans to dread the contract. Alex Pietrangelo is starting to show his age more, as well. 

In all, fans seem to feel a bit underwhelmed by this blueline, perhaps victims to their usually high standards. Oilers fans should not feel too comfortable, the Knights defencemen are still quite formidable. The last time these teams faced off the Knights length and strength clogged the middle of the ice, a recipe that helped bring them a Stanley Cup. 

What it does suggest is that the Oilers can find some success with a determined and detailed forechecking effort. The Knights have the coaching and personnel to adjust and overcome, but the Oilers might bypass the Knights defensive strengths by generating offence off of turnovers and forechecking pressure. 

Loading up depth

Early in the series against the Wild, the Knights had a difficult time containing high level scorers. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy are no slouches, but perhaps the Knights vaunted defence was showing some cracks. A big piece of the turnaround for the Knights was loading up their top line. The Knights do have a number of capable wingers on the roster, but the big change was moving William Karlsson onto Eichel’s wing. 

Karlsson is not expected to replicate his career highs, as has been the case for several seasons now, but he is still a high quality player. He brings speed and defensive abilities, as well as a high level of compete, willing to do a lot of the dirty work. With enough puck skills to play with Eichel, the duo became dominant on both ends of the ice. Adding in Mark Stone as the series closed makes this trio a formidable force, capable of shutting down opponents as much as they can score. 

The Knights would have much better success at limiting the top scorers for the Wild later in the series, in large part thanks to this top line. The Knights will need all the help they can get against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Oilers, as their penalty kill and overall goals against are worse than in previous seasons. 

From an Oilers perspective we might see some adjustments made. Should the Oilers load up their top line? Or perhaps splitting their superstars might yield more advantages? At the very least the key line matchups will revolve around all these players. 

42–0 with at least three goals scored

The Knights have won the last 42 playoff games in which they scored at least three goals. This, in essence, is a testament to their usual defensive standards. Often the Knights have been able to limit goals against enough to earn such a record.

The story may be shifting, though. Key Knights like Stone and Pietrangelo are getting older, though a good chunk of the team is firmly in their prime. The Knights might be a bit diminished from their usual defensive standards, more vulnerable.

Still, with the Oilers no stranger to allowing three or more goals, they will likely have chances to snap the impressive streak, though the team will hope for less goals against than in Round 1 against the Los Angeles Kings. Both teams have reached this point due to aptitudes on either side of the puck. The Oilers represent a unique challenge as well, an overwhelming offensive force when at full throttle. 

A little respect for goaltending

Another storyline amongst Knights fans is in goal, where Adin Hill seems to be a polarizing figure. Hill does not garner the glitz and glamour of Vezina Trophy consideration, but has been getting the job done for the team. With a playoff record of 16–9, as well as being 4–1 in elimination games, Hill has a nice contract to go along with his accomplishments. 

The issue is that many see Hill’s accomplishments as more of a testament to the strength of the team in front of him. Many goalies have found success behind this Knights defence, and the team’s quality in this area being under question is undoubtedly a big reason why knights fans might be unsatisfied. 

Not every goalie has had success, though. Ilya Samsonov has been past on the depth chart by Akira Schmid, who will serve as the backup for the Knights. Schmid had some success a couple years ago when the New Jersey Devils were forced to lean on their depth amidst injuries. While it took a while for him to land a full time role in the NHL, Schmid has his foot in the door in a good situation.

Between Hill and Schmid, and the Oilers duo of Calvin Pickard and Stuart Skinner this is hardly a marquee goaltending matchup. Schmid is the youngest, Skinner two years older than Schmid, Hill two years older than Skinner, Pickard the elder statesman of the group. It might be important for fans of both sides to contextualize their journeys, as there have been plenty of twists and turns for all four of them. 

Both teams will be making life as easy as possible for their respective netminders, and as hard as possible for the opposition. Chances are there will be plenty of twists and turns ahead as both teams search for goaltending that gives them a chance to win. 

A fully healthy Knights team

Right now the Knights are near full health. Breakout winger Pavel Dorofeyev stepped into the scoring role vacated by Jonathan Marchessault, scoring 35 goals this season. Dorofeyev is currently injured, robbing the Knights of some rare internal development at the top of their lineup. 

If the Knights roster is lacking on paper, winger depth might be the biggest issue. The team has gotten contributions from less likely sources, castoffs like Brandon Saad, Tanner Pearson, and Victor Olofsson, as well as big minutes from some afterthoughts like Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar. These players are good, but replacing Dorofeyev’s scoring is not easily overcome. The Knights definitely have better depth on defence or at centre, where they remain healthy for now. 

Expectations for the Golden Knights

Some teams are haunted by playoff demons, years of failures that define their reputations. Fans of these teams are familiar with dread, looming around every corner. The Knights, however, have a short but extensive playoff history. There is a confidence, an air of invincibility that follows.

Knights fans need only look to their results the last time that they won the Pacific Division, a Stanley Cup. While the team is not perfect, Knights fans are very optimistic about their chances of winning once more.