High-powered Oilers face tough 2nd-round test against balanced Golden Knights

The first ever playoff confrontation between the Oilers and Golden Knights pits Edmonton's explosive offence against one of the best two-way teams in the NHL.

Vegas (51-22-9) got it done at both ends of the ice to rank first in the Western Conference, two points up on Edmonton (50-23-9).

The Knights were among the league's top-five plus-minus teams in the regular season and topped the first round of the playoffs at plus-seven.

"They won the division, so we know what we're up against," Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm said. "It's a high-powered offence in my mind. They have some really good D that can move the puck as well, so they're a pretty complete team."

Vegas gets home-ice advantage to kick off the second-round series Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena. Game 2 is Friday before the series flips to Edmonton.

WATCH | Oilers eliminate Kings in Game 6:

The best-of-seven conference semifinal also marks the first playoff meeting of the Oilers' Connor McDavid and the Knights' Jack Eichel since they were selected first and second respectively in the 2015 entry draft.

The Oilers swept the regular-season series 4-0, but three were one-goal games and two were overtime wins.

Knights' forward Mark Stone was out of the lineup for the last three regular-season games against the Oilers.

The 30-year-old from Winnipeg missed a total of 39 because of back surgery. That the Knights remained well above .500 without one of their best two-way forwards reflects their depth.

Stone returned for the post-season. He produced a pair of three-point nights during a first-round elimination of his hometown Jets in five games.

Edmonton needed six to oust the Los Angeles Kings. The Oilers remained in California to rest and skate before leaving the beach