Golden Knights beat Oilers 5-2, advance to West final behind Marchessault's hat-trick.

The Vegas Golden Knights are heading to the Western Conference final for the third time in four seasons, thanks to a dominant performance against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. Jonathan Marchessault led the way with a hat-trick, as the Golden Knights cruised to a 5-2 victory at T-Mobile Arena.



Marchessault opened the scoring just 1:05 into the game, tapping in a perfect pass from linemate Reilly Smith. The Oilers responded quickly, tying the game just over a minute later on a goal from Dominik Kahun. However, Vegas regained the lead midway through the first period when Marchessault scored his second of the night on a breakaway.

The Golden Knights took control of the game in the second period, scoring two more goals to put the game out of reach. Alex Tuch scored on a power play, and Marchessault completed his hat-trick with a beautiful one-timer from the slot.

The Oilers managed to score one more goal in the third period, but it was too little, too late. Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding in net for the Golden Knights, making 30 saves on 32 shots to secure the win.

With the victory, Vegas advances to the Western Conference final for the third time in four seasons. They will face the winner of the Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets, who are currently tied at 2-2 in their second-round series.

For the Oilers, it's a disappointing end to a promising season. Edmonton finished second in the North Division during the regular season and swept the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the playoffs. However, they were no match for the Golden Knights in the second round.

As for the Golden Knights, they continue to build on their impressive playoff resume. In their first four seasons in the league, they have made the playoffs every year and reached the conference final three times. With Marchessault leading the way, they will look to make it back to the Stanley Cup final for the second time in franchise history.