The battle for the Pacific Division crown is far from over. The dust probably won’t settle until the final games of the campaign. Edmonton trails Vegas by only six points and both teams are on fire.

Check the NHL odds as they develop.

Golden Knights vs. Oilers NHL Betting Odds

Compounding the urgent nature of this encounter is that both sides meet down in Nevada again three days later on the 28^th.  The Oilers contend with the Coyotes in the interim on Monday but should everything go their way, they’d be tied on points by late Tuesday night. Conversely, Las Vegas has a glorious opportunity to do away with one contender to the throne and only worry about the Los Angeles Kings afterwards.

At this stage in the season, Edmonton has already had the Golden Knights kneel twice, thus providing more incentive for Vegas to get the job done.

The Knights themselves have conquered seven of their last eight challengers. Up until Thursday’s contest in Calgary, the over had cashed in five straight games. The only quibble about the club’s good fortune is that most of their recent contests have been against subpar opposition. Calgary, Vancouver, Columbus, St. Louis, etc. Edmonton will be an altogether different test.

The Oilers are getting much-needed wins at this critical juncture of the campaign. Winners of five straight, they are also scoring with ease. The ensemble has netted at least four goals in no fewer than six consecutive contests. Goaltending has been leaky, to say the least, but with players like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, anything is possible.

Vegas Golden Knights

The only real scare from Thursday night’s tussle with the Calgary Flames was that Jonathan Quick had to complete the game in place of the injured Logan Thompson.

Not only was the match important to remain atop the Pacific, but there was the matter of returning the favour of a 7-2 beatdown Vegas suffered at home to Calgary not long prior. The visitors took the initiative early, with Jonathan Marchessault (23^rd) sniping a wicked shot whilst on a two-on-one, followed by Michael Amadio (12^th) who, in a nifty breakaway, pounced on his own juicy rebound. From there Calgary pushed as hard as it could and even had a goal disallowed because of a kicking motion. The loss of Logan Thompson may prove fatal down the road. Not only has he had a good season, but he was one of the main reasons the Golden Knights held on for the 3-2 victory.

Edmonton Oilers

One wonders how the Oilers will approach this all-important game. They have the talent and the skill to tussle with anybody in the NHL. The issue is they sometimes just don’t seem to get up for certain games.

The complacency nearly cost them a win on Monday when the lowly Sharks were in town, and the risk was duplicated on Wednesday versus the Arizona Coyotes. Just as against San Jose, it was up to Edmonton to find a way to fight back from a third-period deficit despite most thinking they’d run away with the contest. We alluded to dubious netminding earlier in this article and Stuart Skinner allowed three scores on only 17 shots. Who else would score all four Edmonton goals but McDavid and Nugent-Hopkings? The former opened the tally in the first, and the latter netted the next two, including the game-tying goal. In overtime, McDavid was stopped on a breakaway, but great hustling for the rebound by Draisaitl awarded the talisman a second opportunity, which he buried past a sprawling Connor Ingram. Oilers win 4-3.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Golden Knights vs. Oilers?

Injuries

Vegas

Brett Howden (C)

day-to-day Personal - 13 / 04 / 23

Jack Eichel (C)

Prob Thurs Lower Body - 08 / 04 / 23

Zach Whitecloud (D)

day-to-day Lower Body - 08 / 04 / 23

Shea Theodore (D)

Prob Thurs Undisclosed - 29 / 03 / 23

Alec Martinez (D)

Prob Tues Personal - 24 / 03 / 23

Reilly Smith (RW)

Ques Tues Lower Body - 24 / 03 / 23

Keegan Kolesar (RW)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 12 / 03 / 23

Adin Hill (G)

Late April Lower Body - 08 / 03 / 23

William Carrier (LW)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 04 / 03 / 23

Laurent Brossoit (G)

Early April Lower Body - 27 / 02 / 23

Edmonton

Cody Ceci (D)

Prob Thurs Personal - 07 / 04 / 23

Devin Shore (C)

Ques Sat Illness - 23 / 03 / 23

Ryan McLeod (C)

Early April Upper Body - 15 / 03 / 23

Zach Hyman (LW)

Ques Sat Undisclosed - 14 / 03 / 23

Evander Kane (LW)

Mid March Upper Body - 19 / 02 / 23

Klim Kostin (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 17 / 02 / 23

Vincent Desharnais (D)

Ques Fri Illness - 15 / 02 / 23

Klim Kostin (C)

Ques Wed Shoulder - 12 / 02 / 23

Warren Foegele (LW)

Ques Sun Undisclosed - 11 / 02 / 23

Evander Kane (LW)

Ques Sat Personal - 24 / 01 / 23

Injuries

Vegas

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Brett Howden (C)	day-to-day	Personal - 13 / 04 / 23	17-6	12-11	+ -
Howden is tending to a personal matter, and it has yet to be determined if he will line up for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round.
Jack Eichel (C)	Prob Thurs	Lower Body - 08 / 04 / 23	19-7	14-12	+ -
Eichel has been absent from the previous two contests with a lower-body injury, but it is likely that he will lace up against the Kraken on Thursday.
Zach Whitecloud (D)	day-to-day	Lower Body - 08 / 04 / 23	19-7	14-12	+ -
Whitecloud is battling a lower-body injury, leaving his status for Game 1 of the Western Conference first round in question.
Shea Theodore (D)	Prob Thurs	Undisclosed - 29 / 03 / 23	22-9	16-14-1	+ -
Theodore has been out of action due to an unknown issue, but it is anticipated that he will return against the Kraken on Thursday.
Alec Martinez (D)	Prob Tues	Personal - 24 / 03 / 23	23-10	17-15-1	+ -
Martinez was absent from the last match while dealing with a personal matter, but it is not expected to impact his status versus the Oilers on Tuesday.
Reilly Smith (RW)	Ques Tues	Lower Body - 24 / 03 / 23	23-10	17-15-1	+ -
Smith sat out the last contest with a lower-body injury, and it remains to be seen if he will lace up against the Oilers on Tuesday.
Keegan Kolesar (RW)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 12 / 03 / 23	27-11	21-16-1	+ -
Kolesar is out of commission with an upper-body ailment, and it is unclear how long he will be debilitated.
Adin Hill (G)	Late April	Lower Body - 08 / 03 / 23	29-11	22-17-1	+ -
Hill is out of the lineup with a lower-body injury, and he is not expected to return until the end of April.
William Carrier (LW)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 04 / 03 / 23	31-12	24-18-1	+ -
Carrier is out of action with a lower-body injury, and he is without a definitive timetable for recovery.
Laurent Brossoit (G)	Early April	Lower Body - 27 / 02 / 23	31-14	24-20-1	+ -
Brossoit has been designated to the injured reserve list with a lower-body injury, and he is not projected to be available until at least the early part of April.

Edmonton

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Cody Ceci (D)	Prob Thurs	Personal - 07 / 04 / 23	7-8	7-7-1	+ -
Ceci has missed the previous two matches due to a personal matter, but it is not expected to affect his status for Thursday's battle with the Sharks.
Devin Shore (C)	Ques Sat	Illness - 23 / 03 / 23	11-12	10-10-3	+ -
Shore missed the previous contest due to illness, and it remains to be seen if he will face off with the Golden Knights on Saturday.
Ryan McLeod (C)	Early April	Upper Body - 15 / 03 / 23	14-13	13-11-3	+ -
McLeod is sidelined with an upper-body injury, and he is not expected to return until the beginning of April.
Zach Hyman (LW)	Ques Sat	Undisclosed - 14 / 03 / 23	14-13	13-11-3	+ -
Hyman has missed the last two games with an undefined issue, leaving his status for Saturday's showdown with the Kraken up in the air.
Evander Kane (LW)	Mid March	Upper Body - 19 / 02 / 23	21-17	19-15-4	+ -
Kane is sidelined with an upper-body injury, and he will remain out of the lineup until the middle of March.
Klim Kostin (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 17 / 02 / 23	21-18	20-15-4	+ -
Kostin is idle due to an illness, and it is not yet confirmed when he will return to the lineup.
Vincent Desharnais (D)	Ques Fri	Illness - 15 / 02 / 23	21-19	21-15-4	+ -
Desharnais sat out the last game due to an illness, and it is unclear if he will face the Rangers on Friday.
Klim Kostin (C)	Ques Wed	Shoulder - 12 / 02 / 23	22-19	22-15-4	+ -
Kostin missed the previous match with a shoulder ailment, and it has yet to be confirmed if he will lace up against the Red Wings on Wednesday.
Warren Foegele (LW)	Ques Sun	Undisclosed - 11 / 02 / 23	22-20	22-16-4	+ -
Foegele missed the previous game with an unknown ailment, leaving it up in the air whether he will suit up against the Canadiens on Sunday.
Evander Kane (LW)	Ques Sat	Personal - 24 / 01 / 23	25-21	24-18-4	+ -
Kane missed the last game due to a personal matter, and it is unclear if he will face the Blackhawks on Saturday.