Vegas Golden Knights lose a second key player before playoffs vs Edmonton Oilers

The Golden Knights will also be missing top goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev tonight, and is likely to miss the entire second round series.

The Vegas Golden Knights officially announced on that Pietrangelo will miss Game 1 at least, and will be replaced by depth defender Kaeden Korczak.

Still at 35 years old, Pietrangelo is a key piece for the Vegas Golden Knights as their top pairing right side defenceman logging an average of well over 20 minutes in the first round. Being swapped out for Korczak is a significant downgrade for Vegas.

Not only is Pietrangelo a key piece for Vegas' defence, he's at the heart of the rivalry between the Knights and Oilers. In the 2023 playoffs, Pietrangelo called out the Oilers directly in multiple press conferences asking for preferential treatment from the NHL.

Now missing both Pietrangelo and Dorofeyev for at least Game 1, the Oilers need to take advantage of a weakened Vegas team. The Oilers will be missing a quality player themselves in Mattias Ekholm, but their depth has been able to better cover for his absence than Vegas could.

With this news, victory in Game 1 will be critical for the Edmonton Oilers. Taking at least a split on the road will put the Oilers in a strong position to take a commanding series lead on home ice back in Edmonton. Hopefully, a quick second round can begin tonight for the Oilers.