Game 5, Golden Knights vs. Oilers: Lines, Odds & How to Watch

LAS VEGAS — Will it be Viva Las Vegas or facing elimination at Rogers Place in Game 6? The best-of-seven series is down to a best of three as the Vegas Golden Knights host the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena. The series is tied 2-2, and Game 4 was a suspension-filled affair that cost both teams one of their top defensemen to NHL supplemental discipline.

The puck drops just after 7 p.m. PT.

The teams have alternated wins and alternated playing well. In wins, each team has been dominant. In losses, each team has looked like an also-ran waiting for a lottery draft pick.

The Oilers will be without defenseman Darnell Nurse, whose automatic suspension for an instigator penalty in the final five minutes was upheld by the NHL. The Golden Knights will hit the desert ice without Alex Pietrangelo, who was suspended for one game for a two-handed chop on Leon Draisaitl late in the game.

One note from Game 4, despite being trounced 4-1, the Golden Knights killed four of five Edmonton power plays. Given Edmonton’s dynamism and greater than 50% conversion rate, it was a small victory in a terrible loss.

A second positive was the play of goalie Adin Hill, who was pedestrian in the first period, but very good despite being under siege in the second and part of the third period.

And Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were held without goals. In an otherwise bleak game, those things stand out.

The Golden Knights will need more stellar goaltending to keep McDavid from burning the printer ink on the scoring sheet.

The Golden Knights defensive corps will be heavy on lefties as coach Bruce Cassidy moves Nic Hague to the pairing with Alec Martinez. According to Jess Granger of the Athletic, William Carrier missed the morning skate at City National Arena but would play in Game 5.

*Update: Teddy Blueger will skate in place of Michael Amadio.

Stuart Skinner is the likely starter for Edmonton.

Expected Vegas Golden Knights Lines:

Barbashev-Eichel-Marchessault

Smith-Karlsson-Roy

Howden-Stephenson-Stone

Carrier-Blueger-Kolesar

Defense:

McNabb-Theodore

Martinez-Hague

Hutton-Whitecloud

Goalie: 

Adin Hill

Jonathan Quick (backup)

*lines with help from SinBin.vegas

Expected Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Draisaitl-McDavid-Kane

Nugent-Hopkins–Bjugstad–Hyman

Foegele-McLeod-Ryan

Adin Hill made his first playoff start on Wednesday in Game 4, making 29 saves in the loss

The Golden Knights (44-31 in 75 GP) have a postseason winning percentage of .587, leading all NHL franchises.

Six original Vegas Golden Knights remain with the club and have appeared in all five playoff runs: William Carrier, William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, Brayden McNabb, Reilly Smith, and Shea Theodore.

The Golden Knights blue line produced a large part of the team offense, with Alex Pietrangelo (54 Pts) and Shea Theodore (41 Pts) leading the front during the regular season.

However, the Golden Knights’ defensemen have scored just one goal (Zach Whitecloud) in the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

How to Watch:

TV: TNT

Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM

Golden Knights Bets:

Bet $5 at DraftKings and get the instant $150 promo. Click here.

Oddsmakers continue to undersell the 6.5 Over (+110). We continue to think it’s a better bet than not, even though two of three games have just missed. So, we’re going to take it.

The Golden Knights are a whopping +115 on the Moneyline. That’s a home underdog in a Game 5? All arrows point to a VGK rebound, just as each team has done in this series.

We’ve bought the Over for the last four games, but hit only once. Perhaps if BOTH teams showed up, the Over would be easy. Is this the night? Yeah, we’ve been betting the Over and we’re sticking with it. +115.