The Edmonton Oilers stole both games in Las Vegas to begin their second-round series against the Golden Knights.
They now head home with a commanding 2-0 series lead over the No. 1 seed in the Pacific Division. It's been a picture-perfect start for the Oilers; however, it hasn't come without controversy.
Thursday night's overtime thriller ended contentiously when Oilers forward Viktor Arvidsson tripped Brayden McNabb, causing him to awkwardly fall into the end boards and exit the game. No penalty was called on the play. Just 17 seconds later, Connor McDavid fed Leon Draisaitl, who buried the overtime-winning goal for Edmonton.
Golden Knights' fans are irate about the non-call, though Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch believes there have been missed calls on both sides and that the officials have done a good job overall. Knoblauch said in his media availability on Friday:
"I thought it should've been tripping. And it doesn’t matter; every game, I’m sure Vegas has other plays that they felt should have been called. And we've got a list of plays that we thought we should have gotten a call or benefited from. (1:40 mark)
"And you know, no matter if you’re a fan, coach, whoever you’re cheering for — Team A, Team B — there’s always things that you wish didn’t go your way or you felt didn’t go your way. And you know, hopefully things don’t change the course of the game."
He added:
"In the third period, we felt there was a call that changed the course of the game, and obviously in overtime, there’s a call that they felt changed the course of the game, but hopefully everything works out in the end."
The NHL announced Friday morning that Arvidsson would not face a hearing for his trip on McNabb.
The Edmonton Oilers are now the favorites to win the Stanley Cup
After two impressive road wins in Vegas, the Edmonton Oilers have propelled themselves to the top in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Edmonton is now the favorite to win the Stanley Cup among the final eight teams at +300. Dallas (+330), Carolina (+450) and Toronto (+550) are the next closest, while Vegas (+1700) has dropped to last after their poor start to Round 2.
The winner of Game 3 back in Edmonton will likely lead to significant shifts in the betting odds one way or the other.
The Oilers will look to take further control of their second-round series with the Vegas Golden Knights at home in Game 3 on Saturday night. The puck drops at 9 p.m. EST at Rogers Place.
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