Leon’s Draisaitl’s four goals wasn’t enough as the Edmonton Oilers lost Game 1 of their second round series 6-4 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
“It’s definitely a different looking team, different system,” Draisaitl said after the game. “We just, overall, weren’t good enough. It’s not even close to how we play and how we successfully play. So, we’ve got to move on and we’ll be better.”
The best-of-seven, conference semifinal marks the first playoff meeting of the Oilers’ Connor McDavid and the Knights’ Jack Eichel since they were selected first and second respectively in the 2015 entry draft.
The Oilers took the lead four minutes into the first, when Draisaitl slammed in a pass from McDavid on the power play.
The Golden Knights outplayed the Oilers the rest of the first, getting even strength goals from Ivan Barbashev and Michael Amadio and a power play marker from Mark Stone to go up 3-1.
Draisaitl gave the Oilers life with 10.3 seconds left in the first, banking a shot from behind the net off the back off Vegas goalie Laurent Brossoit.
The second period was scoreless with Stuart Skinner making a point blank stop on Jonathan Marchessault.
Draisaitl completed the hat trick with a power play goal 95 seconds into the third.
Barbashev replied with a deflection 1:01 later, then Chandler Stephenson one-timed a shot past Skinner 50 seconds after that.
However, Draisaitl wasn’t done. With 11:27 go to, he blazed a shot past Brossoit for his fourth of the night.
Eichel put it away with an empty netter in the final minute.
The Oilers have lost the opening game in seven consecutive playoff series.
Draisaitl recorded the seventh four-goal game in Oilers playoff history. Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri have two each.
“He led the way for our group tonight,” Oilers forward Evander Kane said. “Great performance by him. It’s a shame we let it slip away.”
“We can’t give up goals in bunches and we can’t give up goals after we score,” Kane said.
Skinner, who finished with 28 saves, was named a Calder Trophy finalist earlier in the day.
Game two is Saturday in Sin City. (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 3 p.m., game at 5 p.m.).
— With files from The Canadian Press