With McDavid out, other Edmonton Oilers stepped up in a 5-1 win over Vegas.

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The Edmonton Oilers, without Connor McDavid, were as good as ever on Wednesday night, soundly defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, 5-1.

In the kind of flawless team performance we've seen this season, Edmonton dominated on both ends of the risk spectrum, in goal and on special teams.

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The club surpassed the 100-point mark in three games.^rd They have achieved consecutive results this season and are now within third place of Pacific Region leader Vancouver.

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Perhaps most notably, Connor McDavid was standing at the dressing room door congratulating his teammates. Good sign.

This is the story of the tape…

Edmonton Oilers player stats

stuart skinner. 7. Definitely stop Horden with 1^cent. I took the packs from Marchessault and Manta. Amadio's kick save was his best in the first, but the other team had more chances.Reliably stopped Hague's point shot and rebounded early in the second game.^n.d.. Stopped Mantha on partial break for 2 games.^n.d..Stopped Eichel with the first shot and three rebounds.^rd. He stopped 19 of 20 games, but there were few chances for the come-from-behind goals he surrendered. Skinner didn't face a truckload of shots, but he was still the best goaltender on the ice that night, and in the end that's all that matters.

Leon Draisaitl. 8. An interception in the attacking zone led to Bouchard's point shot. Hyman was brought on in the second half of the first game for a great chance.^cent. Just before the end of the opening period, he hit a slapper from the far post. early 2^n.d. The Las Vegas fire drill dragged on because of a limited-time giveaway in his own zone. He fronted a strong backhand off Nugent-Hopkin for a one-timer, and Hyman smashed the rebound home. Nugent-Hopkins beat three defenders with an incredible pass that he couldn't let go of. He hit a one-timer from the faceoff dot to make it 4-1. 3 hits. 56% in a draw. He led the club in 5-on-5 CF with 25 wins and 14 losses, a percentage of 64%.

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ryan nugent hopkins. 8. On the winning top line, which has always been the best on the ice against anything Vegas has thrown at it. A1^cent A wrist shot in the period forced a sharp right pad save from Hill. He hit a one-timer on the set and produced a rebound, allowing Hyman to make it 3-0 at home. A big chance right in front of Leon's amazing pass. A sweet feed to Descharnet who shot high. His first assist from a great pass made him 4-0. Game 2^n.d. Star.

zach hyman. 7. Danger 1^cent Draisaitl's great setup period shot from Rush. In the same period, he returned the favor on the right side, leading to Draisaitl's attack on the post. He worked hard along the wall to start the game at 3-0, and he hit a rebound from about 5 feet out to score. his 53^rd. Secondary assist in 4-0. 4 shots.

nurse darnell. 6. Shot from the point where the nurse scored her 2^n.d. Assisted 1-0. A smooth pass passed to Holloway and he grabbed a chance.Two great defensive plays in your own zone in the same two innings.^n.d. period shift. He defeated the middle shortstop 4-1. 3 hits. High Danger 5-2 5v5.

Cody Ceci. 7. Hard as a rock. He hit the wall with a well-timed pinch, and the puck flew into the net and bounced back to make it 1-0. High Danger 5v5 5-2.

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Adam Enrique. 5. A pass from behind the goal line creates a Grade A chance by Kane. Clever back-checking thwarted the rapidly developing odd rush.

Evander Kane. 6. A shot from the top of the crease after a nifty pass from Enrique. Shot on PP in a scramble for the goal mouth. 4-0, it hit the goalie in the face. 3 shots and 2 hits.

Warren Vogel. 5. Early on the second time, split the D on the hard charging drive into a net.^n.d.. Fed Bouchard made a good point shot.

Matthias Ekholm. 7. He fired 11 shots with a tall, hard howitzer and drove home the score 2-0.^th, career high. A hard pass forward caused Holloway to lift his stick at the last second. We lost 4-1 shorthanded. 4 shots +2. In 5-on-5 CF, they led the Oilers D 21-15, 58%.

Evan Bouchard. 7. Subtracted 3^rd Period PP. Some great passing plays at 4-0. He got the puck deep and deserved the first assist on a 5-1, then Dylan Holloway got the rest. 3 shots, 2 hits +3.

ryan mcleod. 8. This 3^rd The line produced something on every shift in the first game, including a 1-0 in which McLeod got his first assist on a deflection attempt from the side of the net. He made a great pass across the zone to Ekholm to make it 2-0. 2 primary assists. Interesting game. McLeod is often said to have “skated the miles,” but that doesn't always translate to results. That was certainly the case on this night, with the speedy McLeod and Holloway often being more than Las Vegas could handle. named 1^cent Star.

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Dylan Holloway. 8. Played in his first NHL game since March 5th.^th. Dylan Holloway hit McNabb hard on his first shift, trumpeting his return to the NHL. Eichel missed the puck on a poke check and then had a blocked shot. Some nice changes on line 3 leading up to 1-0. Good opportunity early in the 2nd game^n.d. Missed a great pass from Nurse. Part of a tenacious cycle that saw Holloway go 2-0 on the net front. Stick lift on a big chance from the front created by Ekholm. Rushing into the Vegas zone, he took advantage of an Aiden Hill mistake and beat a Vegas defender to the puck. They then came back with 55 points, making it 5-1. +3 at 12:40. How do you take him out of the lineup after a performance like that? The game is 3^rd Star.

Corey Perry. 7. Part of a very talented trio. 2-0 secondary assist. A few minutes later, with a withering shift from this line, they did nothing but score. On a line with two Roadrunners, Perry made a series of smart little veteran plays, perhaps as Wile E.'s sidekick. It is highly effective.

Brett Crack. 5. Saved a goal late in the second half^n.d. By cleaning up a spilled puck off the goal line at the far post. Kulak and Desharnais' stocks weren't huge, but they were solid overall.

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Vincent Desharnais. 5. Great defensive play from Big Bin to counteract the dangerous Karlsson in the high slot. He shut down Kotter with a solid play in the second run.^n.d.. 5 hits.

Sam Carrick. 6. Nice pass to Kulak whose shot went high. Shots that hit the net in 2 games^n.d., drawing a slash call in the process. 50% in points.

Matthias Jeanmarc. 5. Solid 2^n.d. Backcheck period. It's a testament to the play of a number of smart veterans that helps create a good team game.

conor brown. 5. Good keeping and shooting in 1^cent. A partial break resulted in another shot later in the same frame. I skated a lot.

Edmonton's record was 48 wins, 24 losses, and 5 draws, with 101 points. Vancouver's back three in the Pacific Ocean ahead of the game.

Find me in threads @kleavins, LeavinsOnHockey on Instagram, KurtLeavins@mstdn.social on Mastodon, and X @KurtLeavins.

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