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The Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers are set for Game 1 of their Round 2 Stanley Cup Playoffs series. After a six-game triumph over the Minnesota Wild, Vegas is looking to make its fourth Conference Final in franchise history. It will be a tough matchup for Vegas, which relies on its defense, against two of the best forwards in the world. The Golden Knights will be without their top defenseman, Alex Pietrangelo, against the Oilers on Tuesday night.
“Update: Alex Pietrangelo is out of tonight’s game due to an illness,” the team posted on Tuesday night.
The Golden Knights are hosting Game 1 of this series after winning the Pacific Division this season. They closed out Game 6 in The Fortress against Minnesota and got a few days off afterwards. But that did not help out Pietrangelo, who came down with an illness between the games.
The Golden Knights rely on their defense to dominate in the playoffs. It's what helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2023 and has helped them make the playoffs in all but one season in franchise history. Pietrangelo came over before the 2019-20 season and has been a key part of that.
While this is only Game 1 of the series, this could cost the Golden Knights against the Oilers. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl only need one game to get the momentum rolling. And when that ball gets rolling downhill, it's hard to stop. The Golden Knights should be able to handle them without Pietrangelo, but it will be harder.
The Golden Knights and Oilers start their series on Tuesday night in Vegas and play every other night throughout the series. That means Pietrangelo has until Thursday night to get healthy and get back in the lineup. Can the Oilers take advantage and win Game 1?
