After rallying from a 2-0 deficit to eliminate the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference first round, the Edmonton Oilers head to Las Vegas to take on the Pacific Division champion Vegas Golden Knights in a best-of-seven series beginning Tuesday night.

Las Vegas and Edmonton are separated by nearly 1,500 miles. Rivalries often are based on geography. But there’s nothing like the heat of the NHL playoffs to create animosity between teams.

Backs against the wall, the Golden Knights and Oilers showed exactly why they’ve been frequent fliers past the first round — and why the Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings were first-round fodder once again.