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Vegas Golden Knights: Three keys to beating McDavid and the Oilers

By Andrew Steele-Davis |
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 17: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers steals the puck from William Karlsson #71 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on March 17, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Oilers 6-3. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 17: Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers steals the puck from William Karlsson #71 of the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on March 17, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Oilers 6-3. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Vegas Golden Knights will be going all out tonight to finish this four-game homestand on a high by beating the best team in the Pacific Division.

The Edmonton Oilers are the visitors to T-Mobile Arena tonight and the Vegas Golden Knights need a bounceback after dropping a tough loss to bitter rivals the San Jose Sharks in Overtime on Thursday.

It won’t be easy, however, given that the Oilers are 4-2-1 in its past seven games and they boast two of the best players in the NHL on their roster.

As a result, the Golden Knights are going to have to do something they have struggled to do so far this season which is to play a complete hockey game for the full 60 minutes.

Let’s go over some keys to the game…

EDMONTON, AB – OCTOBER 24: Connor McDavid #97 and Leon Draisaitl #29 of the Edmonton Oilers stand for the singing of the national anthem prior to the game against the Washington Capitals on October 24, 2019, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB – OCTOBER 24: Connor McDavid #97 and Leon Draisaitl #29 of the Edmonton Oilers stand for the singing of the national anthem prior to the game against the Washington Capitals on October 24, 2019, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1. Shut Down McDavid & Draisaitl

Okay, so this is stating the obvious somewhat but it is still vitally important if the Vegas Golden Knights are going to pick up the W tonight.

Both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are playing at ridiculous levels right now and they are on pace for historic seasons.

McDavid has reached the 40-point plateau already, as has Draisaitl, and Edmonton’s offense runs through their dynamic duo.

Draisaitl and McDavid both log monster minutes and they are cornerstone pieces of the power play, so the Golden Knights defense is going to have to produce its best game of the year tonight in order to shut down two of the best players in the National Hockey League right now.

EDMONTON, AB – OCTOBER 18: Edmonton Oilers Right Wing James Neal (18) almost scores on a power play on Detroit Red Wings Goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) in the first period during the Edmonton Oilers game versus the Detroit Red Wings on October 18, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB.(Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB – OCTOBER 18: Edmonton Oilers Right Wing James Neal (18) almost scores on a power play on Detroit Red Wings Goalie Jonathan Bernier (45) in the first period during the Edmonton Oilers game versus the Detroit Red Wings on October 18, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB.(Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. Win Special Teams Battle

The Edmonton Oilers have the No.1 ranked power play and the 2nd best penalty kill in the NHL heading into tonight’s contest, so it is clear that they are excelling in all areas of the ice this season.

As a result, the Golden Knights are going to have to remain disciplined and stay out of the box in order to avoid giving Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl the luxury of open ice.

They are also going to have to execute perfectly if they get a chance on the power play themselves, which means getting traffic to the net and getting shots away from the point.

If the Knights can come out on top in the special teams battle then that should go a long way to deciding the outcome of tonight’s game.

3. Be Clinical

While they haven’t struggled when it comes to generating chances this year, the Vegas Golden Knights have lacked that golden touch in front of the net.

Their lack of scoring has been a concern and it plagued them in their last outing against the Sharks, outshooting San Jose 38-29 but still managing to put the puck in the net on just one occasion.

dark. Next. Golden Knights vs. Oilers Pregame Info

Given Edmonton’s offensive firepower and their strong play on the blueline, that simply won’t do for the Golden Knights tonight and their big hitters are going to have to find a way to be more clinical with their chances.

If they don’t then it could be a long night at the office.

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