EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Oilers earned their sixth straight victory on home ice by defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 5-1 at Rogers Place on Wednesday night without Connor McDavid in their lineup.
“I think when you’re missing the best player in the world, you don’t try to replace him,” Zach Hyman said. “I think everybody just as a group collectively has to step up and play better, and I thought collectively it was one of our better games of the season.”
The Blue & Orange received multi-point games from Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and Ryan McLeod while Dylan Holloway, Cody Ceci and Mattias Ekholm chipped in with goals in the victory that strengthened Edmonton’s hold on second in the Pacific Division and home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Stuart Skinner picked up his 35th win of the season after making 18 saves, conceding his lone goal to Keegan Kolesar on a short-handed breakaway before Holloway marked his return to the NHL a minute later with an unassisted marker midway through the final frame.
“Just everybody on the same page,” Hyman added. “And then I thought Holler, who came in the lineup, was fantastic. He, Clouder and Perrs were probably our best line and they were skating and making plays, so when a guy like Connor’s out, guys have to step up and I thought they did.”
The Oilers continue their busy stretch to end the regular season on Friday night when they host the Arizona Coyotes in the first of back-to-back games at Rogers Place this weekend.