The Oilers need to put an end to the scoring spree in Las Vegas

It is now well known that the Oilers have struggled to score this year.

It's not that they can't create offense: their expected goal percentage at even strength is 56.27%, third-highest in the league. However, they only have a 5.72% shooting percentage at even strength, and their normally excellent power play has faltered.

Tonight they face a team that has had no such problems getting to the net: the Vegas Golden Knights. Pick almost any offensive stat and the Golden Knights are the opposite of the Oilers this season.

Shooting rate? Vegas has the best in the league (15.1%), and the Oilers have the worst (7.11%).

Power play? The rate is 32.3%, third best in the league (the Oilers are at 14.7%).

Share equal goals? Vegas beat Edmonton 57.14% to 46.67%.

Regular old goals? Vegas has 54, second in the league, while the Oilers are 28th with just 31.

When it comes to scoring goals, the Golden Knights couldn't be more different than the Oilers. Interestingly, this also applies to expected goals.

The advanced stats simply don't support Vegas' offensive prowess in the first month of the season, with MoneyPuck pegging them at a 46.9% xG% at even strength. That's 25th in the league, just below Calgary and St. Louis and just ahead of Chicago and Philadelphia, no one can imagine anything big.

Of course, this is an extremely talented team that has the playmaking and finishing talent to surpass their advanced numbers. Just maybe not that extreme.

So what does this mean for the Oilers? As is well known, expected goals are not on the scoreboard.

For one thing, it means they can't give Vegas any additional chances or possessions. Seven (seven!) Golden Knights come into tonight's game shooting at over 20%, including their top two wingers (Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev) as well as the entire line of Tomas Hertl, Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden.

It also means the power play needs to get going. It's been that way all year, but it's even more so against a team that's had such a success in scoring. You simply can't miss a chance to score against this team. Luckily, the return of Connor McDavid should increase their man advantage.

Ultimately it means they have to keep playing their game. Vegas is beatable, especially at the back of the lineup, where almost everyone has been inferior this year.

So avoid defensive mistakes, get the power play going, and continue to outrun the opponent at even strength. Easy, right?

If you're reading this and thinking, “Isn't this what the Oilers have had to do all season?” then yes. These are the Vegas Golden Knights, they are really good. To beat good teams, you have to be a good team yourself. For the Oilers, this could be just a few adjustments – or strokes of luck – away.

Check out the 3 images in this gallery in the original article

We'll see if they can make those adjustments or get those breaks tonight at 6:30 on Sportsnet.

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