The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Monday night, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Adam Henrique scored twice, while Evander Kane added a goal and an assist for Edmonton. Connor McDavid recorded an assist, extending his point streak to eight games.
Stuart Skinner stopped all 23 shots he faced to earn the shutout.
The Oilers now need just one more win to advance to the Western Conference Final. Game 5 is Wednesday in Las Vegas.
“I just think everybody was dialed in (after a) huge disappointment from Game 3, the way we played and the way it ended,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “They knew they had to step it up tonight.”
Edmonton was coming off a heartbreaking Game 3 loss where Vegas scored the winner with just 0.4 seconds remaining.
Skinner returned to the crease after replacing Calvin Pickard, who had won six straight games before getting injured in Game 2. The netminder improved to 1-3 in the postseason after entering the game with a 5.36 goals-against average.
“We just put on our work boots and our hard hats and went to work,” Skinner said. “The way that we’ve competed over a number of games is pretty incredible. It’s hard to do that and the way that we’ve been doing it on a consistent basis just shows a lot of pride in this group.”
Adin Hill made 29 saves for Vegas in the loss.
The Golden Knights now face elimination for the first time in this postseason.
“Be better, that’s sort of it,” said Vegas forward Jack Eichel, whose six-game point streak came to an end. “We go home and you’re at home, Game 5, win a game and go from there. That’s really all that matters at this point. Collectively as a group, I just think it needs to be better, cleaner and with more urgency.”
Edmonton struck early when Connor Brown stole the puck behind the net and fed Henrique in the slot. The center fired a one-timer past Hill just 1:27 into the game.
Henrique added his second goal with 6:57 left in the first period. Zach Hyman battled for a puck behind the net before finding Henrique, who chipped it in. A scrum ensued after Kane collided with Hill on the play.
It was Henrique’s first multi-goal playoff game since his rookie season in 2012.
Kane made it 3-0 at 7:38 of the second period when his shot on a 2-on-1 rush deflected off a defender’s skate and into the net. The goal was his fourth of the playoffs.
The Oilers have now won all eight of their Game 4s since 2023.
Despite the deficit, Vegas remains confident. The Golden Knights faced a similar situation in the first round against Minnesota, trailing 2-1 before winning three straight to advance.
“I mean, we did it last series,” forward Reilly Smith said, “so we have a lot of faith in this group and we’ll just take it one at a time.”
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