LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Season 8 for the Vegas Golden Knights came to a bitter end Wednesday night with a 1-0 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Second Round.
With captain Mark Stone and forward Brandon Saad out of the lineup, Vegas was shut out, and Edmonton sealed the series win with a goal 7 minutes into OT.
WATCH | Nick Walters gives a recap on the end of the season for the Golden Knights
The Knights' playoff fate involved dropping Games 1 and 2 on home ice, splitting their two away games in Edmonton, and being shut out in Games 4 and 5.
The Knights are now 8-10 in the playoffs since winning the Stanley Cup in the 2023 season, eliminated by the Dallas Stars in Round 1 last season and now by the Oilers in Round 2.
"We didn't start the way we wanted to," VGK defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said after the loss. "Getting down the first couple games, it's tough to come from behind."
"We didn't get that call in that one game on (Brayden McNabb)," Pietrangelo said, referring to the controversial no-call in OT of Game 2. "You can look at it ten different ways. We still have to get the job done, and we didn't get the job done. We can always say 'what if,' but it's disappointing."
The loss concludes a season that was otherwise a historic success, the Golden Knights reaching 50 wins for the second time in franchise history and winning the Pacific Division for the fourth time in eight years.
"I wouldn't say it was our best through the series," head coach Bruce Cassidy said. "That's where I'm going to walk away and say, 'What could have I done better to get the best out of this group.' That's on me."
"Super proud of the guys, the way they came out, they were committed to playing the right way, they wanted to win," Cassidy said about the Knights' effort to force a Game 6 Wednesday night. "I thought it was two pretty evenly matched teams, and they found a way to be better than us in certain areas. So we'll look back and say there were pockets of the game we needed to be better."
After having the best home winning percentage in franchise history over the regular season, the Knights dropped all three of their home games in their series with Edmonton. Two of which went to overtime.
"We're all excited to play here at home," forward William Karlsson said after the Game 5 loss. "Unfortunately, we lost. Two of those three games, we played really well but didn't come out with a win. But that's hockey. They did a really good job."
"We would've loved to win all three games," Pietrangelo said. "It just is what it is. We had chances (offensively), but just couldn't capitalize. It's more on us than probably on them."
The silver lining of the Game 5 loss was the play of goalie Adin Hill, who helped shut out the Oilers through regulation and made 31 saves.
"He gave us a chance to win," Karlsson said. "I'm bummed that we couldn't just score one. Hell of a game and he really gave us a chance."
The Guys in Gold will take some time away before going for the Stanley Cup again next season. It will take a while to get the sour taste out of their mouth from this early exit.
"Any time you have a good team, you just feel like you didn't really finish what you set out to do," Pietrangelo said. "We have a hell of a team, a hell of a locker room, it's disappointing. It's a hard league to win in. We knew that going in. It's just disappointing."
"Every year you don't win feels like a year wasted," Karlsson said. "We got knocked out. Hopefully, in a few day,s I'll keep looking forward to next year."
The Golden Knights will clean out their lockers and address the media in end-of-season availability on Friday.
Channel 13 will have coverage from City National Arena as the team puts a bow on their season before hitting the offseason.
