Oilers Lose to Golden Knights Despite McDavid's Injury Comeback

Summary:

• The Edmonton Oilers lost 4-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights, marking their second straight loss. 
• Vegas secured its first road win of the season, 
• Oilers captain Connor McDavid made an early return from injury but was held scoreless.

The Edmonton Oilers put in a solid 40 minutes against a strong Vegas Golden Knights team on NHL Wednesday night hockey. 

Even under intense pressure from the Golden Knights, the Oilers managed to hold a 2-2 tie well into the third period. They deserved at least one point in the standings.

However, the night ended with a 4-2 defeat, despite the surprisingly early return of captain Connor McDavid from injury.

Vegas Scores First Road Victory of the Season

Noah Hanifin scored twice as the Vegas Golden Knights earned their first road victory of the season, rallying to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on Wednesday.

Hanifin, who spent six seasons in Calgary and was traded to the Golden Knights in a three-way deal that featured the Philadelphia Flyers in March this year was joined by center Jack Eichel who also contributed a goal and two assists to the victory.

Winnipeg-born right winger and team captain Mark Stone also found the back of the net for the team (9-3-1) who have now won two straight and six of their last seven games. 

Marsta, Sweden-native William Karlsson, who was claimed by the Golden Knights from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, extended his season-opening point streak with an assist on Vegas’ second goal. 

He has tallied at least one point in each of the five games he has played this season, with two goals and four assists.

The Knights entered the matchup 0-3-1 on the road this season.

Fast Recovery for McDavid 

Stony Plain-born Brett Kulak and Toronto native Zach Hyman scored for the Oilers (6-7-1), who have now lost two consecutive games despite the early return of captain Connor McDavid from the ankle injury that he suffered in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 28. 

Then, the club announced the 27-year-old from Richmond Hill would miss up to three weeks of action. 

On Wednesday night, after spending just nine days on the shelf, he proved he was already good to go.

His comeback on the ice to the lineup took fans by surprise. The star forward, who came into the game on a six-game point streak against the Golden Knights with 11 points (three goals, eight assists), was held scoreless.

Adin Hill made 27 saves for Vegas, while Stuart Skinner turned aside 31 shots for Edmonton.

Turning Point

With just 48.4 seconds remaining, the Golden Knights won a race to the corner, allowing Ivan Barbashev to set up Hanifin. 

The latter charged in and fired a shot glove-side to beat Skinner for his second goal of the third period and third of the season.

Zach Hyman’s recent scoring surge continued with his third goal in the last four games after going scoreless in his first 10 games this season. 

Hyman now has five goals in his last six games against Vegas.

Up next, the Vegas Golden Knights will face the Kraken in Seattle on Friday while the Oilers will play against the Canucks in Vancouver during a one-game road scheduled for Saturday.