The Vegas Golden Knights had some good news and bad news on Thursday. The good news? Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has a chance to play in Game 2. The 35-year-old missed Game 1 due to an illness.
Cassidy says Pavel Dorofeyev is out and Alex Pietrangelo has a chance to play.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) May 8, 2025
The bad news? Winger Pavel Dorofeyev will miss Game 2 against the Edmonton Oilers. He's been absent from hockey action since Game 5 of the previous series against the Minnesota Wild. He had an undisclosed injury that kept him out of commission.
The 24-year-old led the Golden Knights in goals scored (35) and shots (253) this season. He also has 13 power play goals this season, leaving a massive void on the man advantage. How will the Golden Knights cope with missing Dorofeyev? Well, there's always the "Next Man Up" mentality.
Meanwhile, Pietrangelo had a down year for Vegas. He scored four goals and 29 assists during the regular season. However, he does have a goal and two assists this postseason, keeping the team afloat during the Minnesota Wild series.
Thursday is a must-win game for the Golden Knights. They're down to the Edmonton Oilers, 1-0. Losing Game 2 is a massive hole to escape, but not impossible. Vegas was up last season against the Dallas Stars, 2-0. It took a Wyatt Johnston overtime goal to swing the momentum in Dallas's favor, leading them to win in seven games.
Will the Golden Knights be able to stave off a brutal Oilers attack in the third period with enough offense? Stay tuned. But one thing's certain. They need all hands on deck and a better performance without one of their better goal scorers on Thursday. Otherwise, it'll be an extremely uncomfortable plane ride to Alberta.