Recap: The Golden Knights were looking to go 3-0-0 under new coach John Tortorella with a victory in Edmonton. Vegas struck first 11:43 into the opening 20 minutes. Brett Howden cleaned up a rebound and scored his 11th goal of the season. The visiting Golden Knights took a 1-0 lead into the first break.
Vegas received goals from depth players Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon, stretching their lead to 3-0. Edmonton cut VGK’s lead to two goals moments before the middle intermission.
Captain Mark Stone picked up the “spirit” by scoring his 24th goal of the season. Rasmus Andersson sealed the game with a late power play goal and delivered another epic stare.
The Golden Knights record improves to 35-26-16, defeating the Oilers 5-1 in Edmonton. Next, Vegas will face the Canucks in Vancouver on Tuesday night. Puck drop against the Canucks is scheduled for 7 PM. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: A red-hot but wounded Oilers team was there for the taking tonight and the Golden Knights did just that. They killed off a couple penalties in the 1st period and took advantage of a heroic moment from Jack Eichel to open the scoring. Then, Lauzon and Sissons added goals to Howden’s and from there it was pretty much smooth sailing. Depth scoring, strong penalty kill, above-average goaltending, and VGK have a third straight win. (Analysis by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.
- Let’s try this again… last time we wrote this the coach got fired… Sunday off day for SinBin.
Ken’s Three VGK Stars
*** Colton Sissons
** Mitch Marner
* Jeremy Lauzon
rb7
Good move by Torts to play Hart instead of the leaky Hill.
things are starting to turn in Vgk favor.
Marner continues to play very good 200 foot hockey
BIG Knight for the Vgk. all the rival teams lost except for LA, and the Vgk now are only 1 pt behind Ana and Edm
it helped that 2 key scorers were out for Edm
keep it rolling.
Pistol Pete
Way to go men a big decisive win. As a bonus that ends the worst losing streak in VGK history against any one team: five regular season games, nine of ten including the 2024-25 playoff series.
I have not watched the game yet but looks like Torts has the group 100% bought in on playing fast aggressive move the puck up the ice hockey like Gallant year one. Torts is a skilled lines juggler as well and has lot to work with with this top six.
The holy grail is perpetuating this play fast move the puck up the ice mindset. That above all else.
Nice to see Lauzon get his first as a Golden Knight.
Jack in the play with three assists (82 pts…Marner 77).
Just like McPhee noted in the recent WrapAround NHL interview, Rasmus Andersson is beginning to play here like the player we traded for.
Carter Hart might just be the answer?
With the Ducks loss to the Flames who I thought looked decent against us Thursday we are now looking to win the division just one point back.
HSK update 5-4 over Tuscon:
Connelly an assist extending his streak to 18 games (11G/31A: 42 pts/40 games) A
Bowman star of the game 2G/2A
Lindbom goes 25/29 not his best game but still strong on the season 2.29/.921
Is Hart/Lindbom the future?
Leonard Wise
That’s what a goalie looks like. Torts knows his capability. The only person I’m having a problem with is Hertal. Can we please bring up Connelly! Nice to stomp the Oil. Like our aggressiveness.
Pistol Pete
Would probably have to waive Saad to create the cap space to bring up Connelly. 2025-26 a good bet I would say.
Connelly-Hertl-R. Smith
Pistol Pete
How well the rest of the season presumably including the playoffs goes for Reilly Smith will determine if we see him 2025-26. Him and Saad total $4m and we may need to dump that just to sign Pav and Andersson.
With both Saad and Smith out we could see:
Connelly-Hertl-Bowman
larry
No Saad, no Smith, rather an infusion of young talent from HSK, Connelly Lavoie and Uchaz to get their opportunity in training camp to make the roster, perhaps Lindholm as well.
I think we will have a vastly different squad here next year, I dont believe the sky is falling especially if we should have a new GM in place with enough time to possibly make some other moves as well.
JB
Yes! That’s what I’m talking about. A full game effort. Carter looked real good . The @#$& oilers tried to intimidate us but we stood up to anything they tried! Pretty excited right now!
TS
Tort’s simple yet effective ” North/ South “play plan, instead of the team’s usual side- to- side waste of time and effort, is making a big difference. Forward motion is way more productive!! It actually leads to more goals— who woulda thought THAT??
hdbiker785
Great win – give credit where cridit is due. Hill not in the net is obviously a plus. Hope the mircale continues – a little surprised at Edmonton perforamance but likeb I said give credit where credit due and they proved tonight they can beat a team that is not a bottom dweller. Given the year that hasn’t happened that often.
DeezNutz
Hart needs to be the #1 guy moving forward. The boys are finally starting to play the way I’ve wanted them to and PUSH AGGRESSIVELY FOR OFFENSE. Their new coach has finally given them permission to make mistakes as long as they are playing full throttle for as much of the game as physically possible. No more playing it safe/nervous. My biggest concern right now is Hertl he has been an absolute ghost for a minute now.
Emmanuel
3.08 .880
League average is 3.08 .896
He’s played against a sh*tty Flames team & an Oil team missing their 2nd & 3rd best F’s behind a hot VGK team boosted by a new coach.
The verdict is still out.
Rob S.
31 saves on 32 shots for a save percentage of .969. I doubt Adin (Mole) Hill has had a single game with a .900 save percentage this season. Agree it’s a small sample size, but it was nice not to have to hold my breath every time the puck moved toward our goal.
Emmanuel
All im saying is temper your expectations.
His career Goals saved above average is -12.8, this season -5.4, Hill has had statistically a better career & Schmid a better season.
TS
Hertl came back from.the Olympics and has been sub- par since. It has also taken Eichel a ” minute” to get moving again, as well. Olympic hangover, i guess.
Curious that Marner hasn’t missed a step. Youngbloods adapt/ recover more quickly. Marner has truly impressed!
Hill was being overused, playing every game– recipe for more injuries. He needs rest and the pressure valve turned down!!
Pistol Pete
Hill’s last game vs. VAN he went 22/24 (.917)
Emmanuel
Why is Sean Burke still around?
vgk21
excellent question. Burke has done a shitty job. he is giving more consideration to ego, contract, reputation, seniority, and long ago hot streaks than he is giving to current performance and winning.
That is not doing what is best for the team, it is doing what is best for one guy, and giving him preference over the good of the team.
knights fan in minny
Well deserved win Move your feet for 60 minutes and you get results plus the confidence the boys should have now after that big win Howdy was fantastic in the ozone and the D zone Rasmus is getting hotter and hotter I love it Get comfy on that bench Hill Heart has come to take your job I’m surprised Edmonton didn’t goon it up more They tried at the end though Typical trash and their fans
FG
Nice win against a team missing two of their three best players, yet VGK lost the xG 3.18-2.92, so the game was closer than the score.
The difference was in goal, as surprisingly Hart was good. I do have a theory that the FO (whom do not have a good track record with goalies) decided that Hill can not do the job in the playoffs, and were determined to give Hart a long leash at the end of the regular season. Whom better to helm the team and give him confidence than his previous coach? Hart started well earlier in the season, then was awful. Another season with goalie drama.
VGK somehow has a real chance of winning the division, with the Ducks reeling and Oilers missing two key players. Win four (or maybe five with a big road test against the Avs), and the division may be theirs.
Pistol Pete
The biggest mistake I saw in this game was Pav failing to slide the puck up ice out of the D zone. In watching the replay it appeared he had the chance to do it, instead ending up in a puck battle he lost near the blue line which lead to Bouchard’s goal.
As I understand the move the puck up the ice mindset it begins in the D zone. If you don’t have a passing lane for the break-out you slide the puck out the zone without icing it. Dowd did this once, airlifting the it to C. Smith who gloved it down just outside the O blue line.
If my analysis on Pav’s situation is accurate he’s been corrected on it and hopefully will do it the right way next time conditions permitting.
Pistol Pete
airlifting it to C. Smith
knights fan in minny
A big key the squad is finally healthy
Rrale
Good overall game last night by VGK. IMHO Pavel needs to work on his board play. If you watch him and say he will lose the puck when he gets near the boards, you would be correct more times than not. Yes, I know he is there to score goals and 35 is good. It is not top tier scoring but still good. Watching the game, it reminded me of year one (how fast can you move the puck up ice). One thing I missed seeing last night was our guys fishing their hits. Really nice game from Hart last night.
Pistol Pete
Imo Pav’s overall play his playmaking and strength on the puck has improved. His playoff numbers is 1G/1A in nine games which is not much. If he can’t do better this time his 35 goals may not be worth to the FO what him and his agent may want for them.
Ice Warrior
On another note, did anyone see the video of the team going down the tunnel and snubbing Hill? I think the only fist bump to him was from Hart. No one else acknowledged his extended fist. Torts needs to address that issue ASAP. There may be plenty of reasons for the team to be anti-Hill but a house divided against itself cannot stand. They don’t have to be best buddies, but fix it.
knights fan in minny
That’s very interesting
SHS
Not sure if that video has been misunderstood or not. I can’t imagine the guys having a personal issue with HIll. They are a pretty tight group…
Emmanuel
I noticed that too, they left him hanging.
Blamed for the coaches firing would be my guess or maybe its nothing…….
Larry
I have a slightly different take on it as we obviously didn’t see the whole line of players going down the tunnel. Hill was fist bumping with his bare hand which was kinda weird as the goalies usually have their gloves on, but when Eichel was heading in to the locker room his head was towards the equipment manager and handing over his sticks to him, and next was Korczak who had his head down, no doubt thinking about whatever bad plays he had just made lol.
TS
Ice, that’s a ” chilling” tell, to be sure. Turning on Hill is big.
knights fan in minny
Patrick roy Gets The hook will Butch be waiting by his phone
Emmanuel
Damn! Just for a bad stretch? He got a good season out of a middling team in a brutal division. Im not a Roy fan but he got hosed.
SHS
I am sure Butch will have his pick of the vacancies out there. I hope he goes to the East because he’s a damn good coach. I’d hate to have him in the West coaching against us!
knights fan in minny
De Boer gets hired
JB
Islanders lost a firey coach and gained a de boring one!
Larry
Excellent road game, excellent road win, excellent offensively and defensively, excellent goaltending , excellent execution, all of that going into shutting down the &@$)( oilers and just as pleasing shutting up those orange clad fans of theirs.
Equally as pleasing was the chirping taking place, as well as the ‘discussions’ at the end of the game, those can build the chemistry and for everyone playing for each other.
Pistol Pete
While it is true that all NHL teams aim to play fast and directly, John Tortorella’s impact on the Vegas Golden Knights (hired March 29, 2026) is more about psychological shifts, accountability, and simplified decision-making rather than inventing a new style of hockey.
Tortorella was brought in to replace Bruce Cassidy to inject energy into a stale team. Here is why his “fast and direct” style works when other teams already try to do it:
Eliminating Over-thinking: Tortorella encourages players to “relax” and play, often simplifying systems to reduce hesitation. He noted the team was too slow and playing “sideways” (too many D-to-D passes) under previous systems.
“Playing North” (Directness): While many teams play fast, they often fall into patterns of lateral play, especially when lacking confidence. Tortorella pushes a “north” mentality—getting the puck up the ice as quickly as possible and limiting unnecessary east-west passing.
Aggressive Accountability: He demands an aggressive mindset, urging defensemen to join the rush and forwards to “check forward,” which turns defensive scenarios into offensive opportunities.
The “New Coach” Factor: Tortorella often acts as a shock to the system. Players like Jack Eichel mentioned the team had lost its “spirit,” and Tortorella’s presence forces immediate accountability and a higher tempo in practice to “move the blood”.
Ultimately, Tortorella’s approach is often about ensuring the players actually play fast, rather than just talking about it, often using a “wake-up call” style to increase engagement
vgk21
it is really very simple. a Coaches’ message is fresh and new at the beginning, but 3 years later it is stale and ignored by the players.
That accounts for the coaching carousel, and the firings with just a few games to go. see Cassidy and Roy.
all the good veteran coaches have moved from team to team, not because they are bad coaches, or have forgotten how to coach, but instead because their message is like an expiry date on a gallon of milk. Once it goes sour, the players need a new coach bringing a smelling salt message to wake them up.
Pistol Pete
If this works McCrimmon should be able to embed it into the team’s culture. It should be transferrable to the next coach. I emailed the team suggesting as such. Why not? Anyways, first we’ll see if it works. They don’t really need me to remind them to make it sustainable if it does work but no harm in offering fan feedback on it. In fact KM has responded to my feedback a number of times.