{"id":468314,"date":"2025-05-08T10:28:54","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T14:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=468314"},"modified":"2025-05-08T10:28:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T14:28:54","slug":"nhl-predictions-playoffs-edition-edmonton-oilers-vs-vegas-golden-knights-game-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/05\/08\/nhl-predictions-playoffs-edition-edmonton-oilers-vs-vegas-golden-knights-game-2\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions (Playoffs Edition): Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights Game 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to another NHL Predictions (Playoffs Edition). Each day, our writers here at\u00a0Last Word on Hockey<\/em>\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the\u00a0Edmonton Oilers<\/a>\u00a0taking on the\u00a0Vegas Golden Knights<\/a>.\u00a0Don\u2019t forget to check out\u00a0more<\/a>\u00a0NHL Predictions,\u00a0as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions: Western Conference, Second Round, Game 2<\/h2>\n

Edmonton Oilers vs Vegas Golden Knights<\/h3>\n

Series: Oilers 1 – 0 Golden Knights<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Time:<\/strong> 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n

TV:<\/strong> ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS<\/p>\n

The Edmonton Oilers showed resilience again in Game 1, clawing back from a 2\u20130 deficit to win 4\u20133 on the road. It marked their fifth straight come-from-behind victory this postseason\u2014setting a new NHL record. Vegas jumped out early behind two goals from captain Mark Stone<\/a>, but Edmonton slowly took control. Zach Hyman<\/a> netted the game-winner with just over three minutes left, while Connor Brown<\/a> sealed the win with an empty-netter. With the Oilers now leading the series 1\u20130, Vegas needs an answer on home ice<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Edmonton Oilers Depth Stepping Up<\/h3>\n

Connor McDavid<\/a> and Leon Draisaitl<\/a> were productive again in Game 1, each picking up two points. However, the real story continues to be Edmonton\u2019s supporting cast. Veterans like Connor Brown, Corey Perry<\/a>, and Evander Kane<\/a> all made key contributions, helping the Oilers outscore Vegas 3\u20130 over the final 23 minutes.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most encouraging stat came via Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts the Podcast<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(starts at 3:50). During the regular season, Edmonton was -20 at 5-on-5 when McDavid and Draisaitl were not on the ice (68 GF, 88 GA). Last postseason, they were -9. This year? Through seven games, they\u2019re +4 (11 GF, 7 GA) in those minutes. That shift in depth performance could be what finally pushes this team over the top.<\/p>\n

Vegas Golden Knights Urgency Sets In<\/h3>\n

Vegas started Game 1 strong but faded fast. They registered only seven shots combined in the second and third periods, and their inability to handle Edmonton\u2019s forecheck stood out. Mark Stone remains a reliable playoff performer, tying Jonathan Marchessault<\/a> for the franchise\u2019s all-time postseason goals record with his first-period pair.<\/p>\n

One possible Game 2 X-factor is defenceman Alex Pietrangelo<\/a>. He missed the opener due to illness but could return tonight. His puck-moving ability and leadership would help stabilize a blue line that struggled with Edmonton\u2019s speed as the game wore on. Vegas must also generate more from players like Jack Eichel<\/a> and Tomas Hertl<\/a>, who were quiet in Game 1.<\/p>\n

NHL Prediction for Game 2<\/h3>\n

The Edmonton Oilers are doing more than just winning\u2014they\u2019re evolving. For years, critics questioned whether their success hinged too heavily on McDavid and Draisaitl. But in this postseason, that narrative is changing. Game 1 proved it again: down 2\u20130 in a hostile building, it wasn\u2019t the stars who turned the tide\u2014it was the supporting cast. Players like Connor Brown and Corey Perry are writing new chapters in Edmonton\u2019s story, and the numbers back it up. For the first time in years, the Oilers are outscoring opponents at five-on-five without their stars on the ice.<\/p>\n

Vegas is too good to fade quietly, and they\u2019ll push hard early in Game 2. But Edmonton\u2019s ability to adapt mid-game and generate offence from all four lines is proving lethal. Until the Golden Knights show they can match that pace for sixty minutes, the edge remains with the Oilers.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Oilers win 3\u20132.<\/em><\/p>\n

Prop Bets of the Night<\/h3>\n

We round out NHL Predictions with some prop bets of the night. Leon Draisaitl anytime goal (+125) remains a smart value given his playoff consistency. Consider Zach Hyman anytime goal (+215)\u2014he\u2019s scored in five of seven games this postseason. Also, plus odds for Connor McDavid over 1.5 points is good value (+100) (Postseason Record: 12-11)<\/p>\n

Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions, some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to another NHL Predictions (Playoffs Edition). Each day, our writers here at\u00a0Last Word on Hockey\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the\u00a0Edmonton Oilers\u00a0taking on the\u00a0Vegas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5399,"featured_media":468323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4524,23,4547,4548,1,807],"tags":[1574,1199,139,6017,213,193,623,6019],"class_list":["post-468314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhl-predictions","category-oilers","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-uncategorized","category-vegas-golden-knights","tag-bruce-cassidy","tag-calvin-pickard","tag-connor-mcdavid","tag-edmonton-oilers-predictions","tag-jack-eichel","tag-leon-draisaitl","tag-tomas-hertl","tag-vegas-golden-knights-predictions"],"modified_by":"Andrew Willis","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5399"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468314"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":468324,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468314\/revisions\/468324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}