Look, I'm not going to mince words here. The Vegas Golden Knights desperately need a win on Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers. You have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl coming to town and you want to stick it to your rivals. It's always a terrific feeling when you can defeat the two wunderkind players in a hockey game.
But it goes beyond merely defeating two incredibly talented hockey players. The Golden Knights have been so bad against playoff-position teams this season. Before Wednesday's win against the Detroit Red Wings, the last win (as of Saturday) came against the Utah Mammoth on November 20. Granted, it was a 4-1 win. However, the vibe drastically shifted in Las Vegas.
We're talking about a litany of injuries to go with giveaways galore and a porous onslaught of goals. It's been an unorthodox season that has fans concerned about the team's future. Like, not having William Karlsson for the regular season is rough enough to start. But falling out of first place in the division? Yikes.
But it's beyond the team's current situation, though. Sunday's game is a must-win in the grander scheme. Let's look at the Golden Knights (and the Oilers) and see why each team wants to win a pivotal game.
Why the Vegas Golden Knights must win on Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers
Obviously, you want to beat your division rivals and have the proverbial bragging rights over them. That's especially true when you still have that bitter taste from last season's playoff series. Golden Knights fans won't forget how Edmonton handled them and needed a miracle Reilly Smith goal to even salvage a game.
But this time, the Oilers are going through it worse than the Golden Knights. Heading into Sunday's game, Edmonton had won four of its last 10 games. There have been questions about whether McDavid has had enough, with the gigastar showing growing frustrations with his current situation.
Compare that to Friday's game, where the Golden Knights were facing a red-hot Minnesota Wild team. The Wild had won seven of its last 10 games entering Friday's contest, adding players like Michael McCarron in the process. As for Edmonton? Well, they picked up Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, and Colton Dach.
Sunday's game matters beyond the two contestants in Las Vegas
Perhaps you might've forgotten about the Anaheim Ducks. Everyone wasn't paying attention to them as they quietly made their way through the league (Hello! Party of one!). However, the Ducks have won seven of their last eight games, including a shootout thriller over the Montreal Canadiens.
The sudden uptick from Anaheim makes them the biggest Pacific Division threat. Adding John Carlson changes the entire dynamic surrounding the team, where they suddenly believe that they can go on a deep run.
Not only does this affect the Golden Knights, but it also affects the Oilers. A loss could set them back further, especially with the Kraken one point behind entering Saturday. That could lead to some serious rumblings in Alberta, where everyone wonders if this is it.
The Golden Knights might not have that problem now. However, a loss on Sunday to the Oilers will have fans wondering where it all went wrong this season. Moreover, it leaves fans wondering where Vegas stands in the future.
Nobody wants to have that conversation, especially with the rising temperatures.