Oilers out of Stanley Cup playoffs as Golden Knights use Marchessault's hat trick to win Game 6

The Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Edmonton Oilers from Stanley Cup contention and advanced to the NHL's Western Conference final with a 5-2 road win Sunday.

The Golden Knights took the best-of-seven Pacific Division final four games to two.

Vegas carried a 4-2 lead into the third period on Jonathan Marchessault's natural hat trick in the second.

"We're only halfway done to our goal here," Marchessault said. "We're going to keep going until our organization, we win the ultimate goal. Tonight is just one step in the right direction."

"I've worked very hard my whole life to get to the NHL and to be here," said the 27-year-old Hill from Comox, B.C.

"It's exciting being on a team that's this good and has chance to really do it all, I'm grateful and I'm excited about it."

Connor McDavid and Warren Foegele were Edmonton's goal scorers.

Oilers starter Stuart Skinner was replaced by Jack Campbell for the third time in four games.

WATCH l Marchessault posts natural hat trick to help Vegas oust Edmonton:

Oilers eliminated by Golden Knights as Marchessault's natural hat trick leads way

2 years ago

Duration 1:04

Jonathan Marchessault's natural hat trick leads Vegas to a 5-2 victory over Edmonton to win their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series in six games.

Skinner stopped 13 of 17 shots over 40 minutes. Campbell had four saves in the third period.

"It hurts," said Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said with a shaking voice. "It's tough to find words right now.

"When you start a season, you're in it to win it. We're at that stage. If you don't complete that, it feels like a failure or a wasted year almost. It hurts."

The Golden Knights reached the NHL's final four for the fourth time in the team's six-year history.

Vegas will meet the winner of the series between the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken. That series is tied at three wins apiece with Game 7 scheduled for Monday.

The Oilers didn't get as far in the post-season as they did in 2022.

The Golden Knights held Edmonton's vaunted power play to one scoreless chance in Sunday's second period.

Vegas limited the NHL's highest-scoring team in the regular season to 10 goals over the last four games of the series.

The Knights also outscored Edmonton 17-10 even-strength.

Draisaitl, who scored 13 goals in his first eight playoff games, and McDavid were reunited on the same line in Sunday's third period in an attempt to produce more offence.

The Oilers generated several chances. McDavid rang a shot off the post. Campbell was pulled for an extra attacker with over three minutes to play, but Hill and the Golden Knights stood firm.

"What was the difference? They did a lot of good things, they shut it down," McDavid said. "The third period was clinical. We still had our looks and didn't find a way to get one past him."

Seconds after a Vegas power play expired late in the second period, Marchessault completed his hat trick with a four-on-four goal at 18:36.

His wrist shot from just above the hash marks on a cross-ice feed from Alex Pietrangelo beat Skinner far side.

An Alec Martinez slapshot deflected into the air off Skinner's shoulder and landed on the goal line for Marchessault standing at the crease to tap in at 7:44

"A little bit of lack of execution defensively in the second period ended up really hurting us tonight," Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said.

Edmonton scored first in the first five games of the series, and was occasionally guilty of giving up a quick one to Vegas immediately afterward.

The script flipped in Game 6 with the Golden Knights scoring 24 seconds after puck drop, and the Oilers countering 31 seconds later.

The hosts led 2-1 by 2:43 of a penalty-free first period when Derek Ryan backhanded a pass from behind the goal line to Foegele driving the net.

McDavid scored his eighth of the playoffs and his second even-strength 55 seconds after the opening faceoff.

Brett Kulak carried the puck over the blue line to the middle and dished to the Oilers captain on the wing.

The NHL playoff leader in points with 20 beat Hill with a low shot far side under the goalie's blocker.

Smith scored his second in as many games off an Edmonton turnover in its own corner.

Skinner cleared the puck along the boards into a pair of Vegas jerseys and the puck came out to Smith in the slot for a Vegas goal 24 seconds into the game.

After an Oilers' turnover in their own corner, Smith beat Skinner from the slot at 24 seconds for Smith's second in as many games.