Eichel Dominant, Golden Knights Pound Oilers in Game 3 Win, 5-1

The Vegas Golden Knights filled the net and stayed out of the penalty box. Without their historically good power play, the Edmonton Oilers were a bit lost. Jack Eichel dominated the game, and the Golden Knights rolled to a 5-1 win in Game 3 at Rogers Place.

The Golden Knights lead the Round Two series 2-1. Game 4 is Wednesday.

Golden Knights starting goalie Laurent Brossoit was injured five minutes into the game when he made a kick save on Connor McDavid. Brossoit tried to slide to his right but was clearly injured and immediately dropped to the ice, face down. He had to be helped off the ice.

Adin Hill played the final 55 minutes and made 25 saves.

As they did in Game 1, the Golden Knights surrendered the game’s first goal in the opening minutes, then scored within a couple of minutes to counter Edmonton’s momentum. From there, Game 3 was viva Las Vegas.

Less than three minutes into the game, Brossoit gave up a soft goal when he backed too far into the crease and didn’t block a centering pass. From inside the crease, Warren Foegele deflected Derek Ryan’s centering pass for the first tally.

Edmonton has scored the first goal in all three games.

Less than two minutes after Foegele’s tally, Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault teamed up to tie the game. Eichel collected a center ice turnover and created a VGK rush. Marchessault (1) followed his shot to the net and poked his own loose puck past Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner.

The Golden Knights earned a 2-1 lead in the final minute of the first period on Eichel’s 200-foot effort. Eichel checked Edmonton forward Kailer Yamamoto behind the Golden Knights’ net, gained possession of the loose puck, and began the full-length rush.

From the slot, Jonathan Marchessault (2) scored his second goal of the period when he neatly directed Eichel’s soft pass into the net.

And just for fun, at the final horn of the first period, Oilers winger Evander Kane charged Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. As players coasted toward the bench in anticipation of the horn, Kane raced from center ice and cross-checked Pietrangelo.

That was a penalty.

Kane also stirred emotions in Game 2 when he landed a handful of punches on a defenseless Keegan Kolesar, then dropped an F-bomb taunt in his postgame media availability.

The Golden Knights didn’t score on the resulting power play in the second period but did put three goals on the board in the middle 20 minutes. A fourth goal was waived off for goalie interference.

Seven minutes into the second period, Zach Whitecloud (1) played the give-and-go with Reilly Smith at the top of the zone. Whitecloud had a clear runway to the right-wing circle and snapped a wrister over goalie Stuart Skinner’s shoulder.

It was the first goal by a Golden Knights defenseman in the postseason.

In the middle of the second period, Eichel tallied his third point and his first goal of the game. Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard tumbled over the red line, springing Eichel on a two-on-one.

Eichel (5) paused, faked a pass, then snapped a low glove-side shot past Skinner.

That was it for Skinner. Jack Campbell finished the game.

Nicolas Roy scored later in the second period, but it was waived off because Alec Martinez bumped Campbell. Just 17 seconds later, Roy earned an assist when Chandler Stephenson (6) stormed the net and deflected Roy’s pass.

The Golden Knights smothered Edmonton in the third period, allowing just three shots in the first 10 minutes of the period. According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Vegas Golden Knights allowed zero high-danger scoring chances in the second period.

The Edmonton power play, which was converting 56% of chances in the Stanley Cup playoffs, had just 47 seconds of power play time in the first 55 minutes of Game 3. Edmonton didn’t get a full power play until Brett Howden tripped McDavid with five minutes remaining.