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Edmonton Oilers are the first team to advance to the Conference Final

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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May 15 2025, 4:44 am
Edmonton Oilers are the first team to advance to the Conference Final
Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers have advanced to the Western Conference Final for the third time in the last four years.

The Oilers were able to eliminate the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 thanks to a 1-0 win at T-Mobile Arena. In doing so, they are the first team in this year’s playoffs to punch their ticket to the Conference Final.

Unlike several other games we saw throughout this series, this game was rather low event. The Golden Knights were able to keep the high-powered Oilers offence off the board through 60 minutes, but were unable to find the back of the net themselves. As a result, these two Western Conference heavyweights went to overtime for the second time this series, before Kasperi Kapanen called game.

This continued what has been a great effort from the Oilers’ depth players throughout the postseason. It was only Kapanen’s second contest of this year’s playoffs, and it ended what was a 33-game goal drought.

Also stepping up for the Oilers was goaltender Stuart Skinner. He’s turned things around in a big way after a rough start in the playoffs, as he was able to pick up his second straight shutout. At this point, it looks as though it will be his net even once Calvin Pickard is healthy enough to return to the lineup.

After going down 2-0 versus the LA Kings in the first round, the Oilers have found their game in a big way, putting together an 8-1 record over their last nine outings. They will now await the winner of the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets series to determine who they will play in the Western Conference Final.

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