The Stanley Cup 2023 knockout round is notable for its more unexpected surprises. Juggler in the regular season Boston Bruins and the reigning national cup champion Colorado avalanche was ousted in the first round. The last team to qualify for the knockout round — team Florida Newspapers — reached the final round of the Eastern Conference. Home field advantage is almost non-existent.
And then we have the Pacific divider frame.
Seed number 1 vegas golden knight and seed number 2 Edmonton Petroleum both were interested in the business in Round 1 and waged a back-and-forth, high-scoring battle this round that looked like the Smythe Division glory games the Oilers had played in the years. 1980 — including a healthy dose of physical aggression, some of which resulted in suspension. This series has been great as expected.
But there must be a winner, and with the win in game 6 tonight (10 ET, GAME), the Golden Knights can guarantee it’s them. Oilers stand in their way and certainly won’t fall without a fight — figuratively and perhaps literally.
Before the two teams land at Rogers Place, pick up your pace. We’ve put together a guide to each team’s must-see content, including in-depth statistical insights from ESPN Stats & Information.
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Line: EDM -190 | O/U: 6.5
Notes from ESPN Stats & Info
oil machine
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Like the Golden Knights, the Oilers have been a hit team this season in losses. Edmonton is yet to lose in a row after this season, going 4-0 and averaging 4.5 goals per game following their 2023 Stanley Cup knockout loss. Connor McDavid (two goals, seven assists) and Leon Draisaitl (five goals, four assists) took the lead in those games with nine points per game.
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Among skaters who appeared in at least 10 knockouts, Draisaitl (1.60) and McDavid (1.54) ranked third and fourth respectively in points per game in post-history. season, behind only Wayne Gretzky (1.84) and Mario Lemieux (1.61).
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Speaking of Gretzky and Lemieux, McDavid joined them as the only three skaters in the sport’s history to score 70 goals and 100 assists in a single season (including play-offs). Gretzky has done it four times (last time in 1984-85 with the Oilers) and Lemieux has done it three times (last time in 1995-96 with Penguins).
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The Oilers’ three goals in Game 5 were all scored by power play, giving Edmonton 18 goals in the knockouts so far (18 vs 38, 47.4%). That’s the most prowess goals by any team in the first 11 games of a playoff year since Avalanche had 19 in 1997. The only time an Oilers team has scored at least 18 goals. followed the power play in the first 11 games of a playoff That year, in 1988, it became Wayne Gretzky’s last Stanley Cup win of his career as Edmonton lost just two games en route to the title. (16-2).
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Of the five NHL skaters with at least eight points of strength after this season, four are from the Oilers — but the top skater isn’t who you think. Defender player Evan Bouchard had four goals and 11 assists on power play in the 2023 Stanley Cup knockouts, ahead of McDavid (12 playstyle), Draisaitl (8 prowess) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (eight points of strength). Bouchard’s 15 points of power play are tied with Denis Potvin (1981 with the Islanders) for the third most points by a defender in a knockout year. That total is second only to Al MacInnis (Flames), who had 23 goals in 1989, and Ray Bourque (Bruins), who had 17 in 1991.
golden knight
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Jack Eichel, having tasted post-season for the first time, raised his tally in the 2023 Stanley Cup knockouts to 13 (six goals and seven assists), the most points of any campaign. Golden Knights skater through 10 matches of the knockout campaign. The only active players to score more points through the first 10 knockouts of their career than Eichel are Boston’s David Pastrnak (15), of Colorado Nathan MacKinnon (15), Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby (15) and of Florida Eric Staal (14) — who accumulated that score for the 2006 Hurricane.
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With their win in Game 5, the Golden Knights improved to 45-31 (0.592) in all-time post-season games, the highest win percentage in Stanley Cup knockout history. The only franchises to reach 45 playoff wins in fewer games than the Golden Knights (76) are the Oilers (67) and New York Islanders (75).
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Game 5 was a microcosm of the Golden Knights’ five knockouts, as Vegas took control of the game in the second round. The Golden Knights beat the Jets (first round) and Oilers (second round) by 11 goals in the middle (16-5), the largest goal-loss difference in a period for any team after this season. .
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Vegas were the most disciplined team in the NHL during the regular season (3:46 short ice time per game, the only team to play under four minutes) but were unusually disciplined in their first five games. This series, received NHL -high 41 penalties in the second round.
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The Golden Knights won the Pacific Division in the regular season despite placing outside the top 10 in goals per game (14th) and goals conceded per game (11th). It’s worth noting that no team won the Stanley Cup in the same season that it ranked outside the NHL’s top 10 in terms of both goals scored and allowed goals.
