Game 2 Face Plant; Golden Knights Drilled by Oilers Special Teams, Series 1-1

LAS VEGAS — The opportunity was golden. The Vegas Golden Knights had a chance to put the Edmonton Oilers in a deep 2-0 series hole. Instead, the unstoppable Edmonton power play struck twice in the first seven minutes. Then Connor McDavid scored a shorthanded goal, and the game felt decided in the first 10 minutes. Leon Draisaitl continued his historic playoff-scoring pace with a pair of goals as the Oilers rolled to a 5-1 win at T-Mobile Arena.

The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 is Monday at the eighth wonder of the world, the massive Rogers Place in downtown Edmonton. The puck will drop just after 5:30 p.m.

After getting scoring from every line in Game 1, the Golden Knights struggled to find a rhythm throughout Game 2. They took two penalties in the first six minutes, and Edmonton’s power play didn’t miss.

Just two minutes into the game, Draisaitl scored his 12th goal in eight playoff games when he chipped a short wrister over Golden Knights goalie Laurent Brossoit.

Draisaitl claimed the second power-play goal a few minutes later, but replays showed he did not deflect it. Evan Bouchard ripped a slapshot past Brossoit for the sixth Edmonton goal of the series and the first not by Draisaitl.

A few minutes after Bouchard scored, Connor McDavid continued the Edmonton special teams mastery with a shorthanded breakaway goal.

By 11:11 of the first period, it was 3-0 Edmonton.

And later in the first period, to flex the most incredible hot streak in Stanley Cup playoff history, Draisaitl scored again. Golden Knights defender Nic Hague cross-checked Zach Hyman into Brossoit, and Draisaitl (13) had an open net.

After a lull in the second period, McDavid banked a short-side shot off Brossoit for a 5-0 lead and his second goal of the game. It was the third Oilers’ power-play goal and a softy that took the wind and hope away from the Golden Knights.

It was an ugly day from the start for the Vegas Golden Knights. They were outshot 19-4 in the first period and outscored 4-0. Things weren’t much better in the second period, though the Golden Knights put 12 shots on net.

Late in the second period, the gloves came off as frustrations boiled. As Golden Knights winger Brett Howden fought Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak at center ice, a line brawl broke out in the Golden Knights zone.

Alex Pietrangelo tussled with Oilers center Nick Bjugstad as Oilers winger Evander Kane tackled Keegan Kolesar, delivering a furry of gut punches as the Kolesar was flat on the ice.

Kane was given four minutes for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct.

The Golden Knights got a power play out of the fray.

Pietrangelo led the Golden Knights with three shots after two periods. No VGK forward had more than two shots. The Golden Knights were outshot 31-16 after 40 minutes.

Ivan Barbashev scored his third goal of the series early in the third period. Barbashev swatted a fluttering puck out of the air past Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner.

Hague was given a 10-minute misconduct with five minutes remaining, though no punches were thrown in the scrum. Kolesar was also given a misconduct and could be seen slamming his stick off the wall

Adin Hill relieved Brossoit at the beginning of the third period. He faced just four shots.