{"id":26427,"date":"2024-05-08T19:37:18","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T19:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/?p=26427"},"modified":"2024-05-08T19:37:18","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T19:37:18","slug":"vancouver-canucks-vs-edmonton-oilers-2024-stanley-cup-playoff-series-preview-and-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/vancouver-canucks-vs-edmonton-oilers-2024-stanley-cup-playoff-series-preview-and-pick\/","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver Canucks vs. Edmonton Oilers: 2024 Stanley Cup playoff series preview and pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vancouver Canucks: 1st in Pacific Division, 109 points, def. NSH in Round 1 (4-2)<\/strong>
Edmonton Oilers: 2nd<\/strong> in Pacific Division, 104 points, def. LAK in Round 1 (4-1)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Schedule (ET)<\/h2>\n

To be announced<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Date<\/strong><\/td>\nGame<\/strong><\/td>\nTime<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wednesday, May 8<\/td>\n1. Edmonton at Vancouver<\/td>\n10 p.m. ET<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Friday, May 10<\/td>\n2. Edmonton at Vancouver<\/td>\n10 p.m. ET<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sunday, May 12<\/td>\n3. Vancouver at Edmonton<\/td>\n9:30 p.m. ET<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tuesday, May 14<\/td>\n4. Vancouver at Edmonton<\/td>\nTBD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Thursday, May 16<\/td>\n5. Edmonton at Vancouver*<\/td>\nTBD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Saturday, May 18<\/td>\n6. Vancouver at Edmonton*<\/td>\nTBD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Monday, May 20<\/td>\n7. Edmonton at Vancouver*<\/td>\nTBD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

TV: ESPN, ESPN2, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports. * if necessary<\/p>\n

The Skinny<\/h2>\n

Well, here\u2019s a pretty new matchup. The Oilers and Canucks have somehow only faced off against each other in the playoffs twice before in NHL history, with the last meeting coming all the way back in 1992. Considering how often the Canucks have matched up against, say, the Calgary Flames, it\u2019s kind of wild that this will be just the third Edmonton\/Vancouver playoff series we\u2019ve ever seen. It should be a good one!<\/p>\n

The Canucks are coming off a series against the Nashville Predators that probably would\u2019ve ended quicker if they were fully healthy. Much has been made about Vancouver\u2019s unusual goaltending situation \u2014 more on that later \u2014 but there were points during that series at which Elias Pettersson also just didn\u2019t look like himself. Even so, the Canucks managed to make the most of the slog with a six-game victory over the Western Conference\u2019s No. 7 seed.<\/p>\n

On the other side, the Oilers faced off against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round for the third consecutive season and had their way with them once again. After needing seven games to beat the Kings in 2022 and six games last year, the Oilers vanquished their division rivals in just five games this time around. Connor McDavid only needed to score one goal in the series for the Oilers to win with ease.<\/p>\n

Head to Head<\/h2>\n

Vancouver: 4-0-0
Edmonton: 0-4-0<\/p>\n

The odds are pretty good that the Canucks won\u2019t win this series in a sweep, but they did exactly that against the Oilers during the regular season. Of course, three of those four games came at the start of the year when the Oilers were mired in a brutal funk \u2014 one that cost head coach Jay Woodcroft his job \u2014 but wins are wins, no matter the context. <\/p>\n

The Canucks beat the Oilers one final time at Rogers Place in Edmonton on April 13, with Pius Suter scoring the winning goal in a 3-1 victory for the visitors. Suter went on to score the series-clinching goal (and, for that matter, the only goal) in the Canucks\u2019 decisive Game 6 win against the Predators on Friday.<\/p>\n

Top Five Scorers<\/h2>\n

Vancouver<\/h4>\n

Brock Boeser, 6 points
J.T. Miller, 6 points
Quinn Hughes, 5 points
Dakota Joshua, 4 points
Elias Lindholm, 3 points<\/p>\n

Edmonton<\/h4>\n

Connor McDavid, 12 points
Leon Draisaitl, 10 points
Evan Bouchard, 9 points
Zach Hyman, 8 points
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 6 points<\/p>\n

X-Factor<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s tempting to say the X-Factor in this series is McDavid \u2014 after all, he was our pick in this category in our Oilers\/Kings series preview \u2014 but instead, let\u2019s go with Quinn Hughes, who is most likely going to win the Norris Trophy this year as the league\u2019s top defenseman.<\/p>\n

During the first round, Hughes came within one assist of becoming the first-ever Canucks defenseman to record six of them in a single playoff series. As strange as it seems to anoint a 24-year-old the best defenseman in the history of a franchise that was established nearly three full decades before he was born, it\u2019s probably appropriate with Hughes. After all, he\u2019s the first player in Canucks history to even be a finalist for the Norris, let alone to (possibly) win it.<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s at the top of his game, Hughes is nearly unbeatable. The gap between him and Cale Makar is currently much smaller than a lot of folks in the hockey world would readily admit. That may change in future seasons, but Hughes is currently on the best run of his young career. He\u2019s by far the best member of a Canucks defensive group that is otherwise rife with vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n

Offense<\/h2>\n

It shouldn\u2019t be a surprise that the list of the Oilers\u2019 top-five scorers in the first round looked identical to their leaderboard from the regular season. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. That\u2019s just how the cookie crumbles up in Edmonton, from the top down.<\/p>\n

McDavid is the most skilled offensive player in the league today. Yes, he only scored one goal against the Kings, but there\u2019s every possibility that he goes off for eight against the Canucks. He\u2019s an explosive skater who can handle the puck with ridiculous precision at even his top speeds, which makes him uniquely challenging to defend in any rush scenario. He\u2019s also creative, intelligent, and increasingly competent in his own end of the ice. Any conversation about the Oilers\u2019 offensive capabilities has to begin with No. 97.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Draisaitl scored five goals and added five assists over five games against the Kings in the first round. The Kings really haven\u2019t had an answer for the big German over their last three playoff matchups, constantly letting him torch them for goal after goal \u2014 particularly on the power play. Between Draisaitl and Hyman, the Oilers have two other forwards who are more than capable of fully taking over a playoff series with their finishing talent.<\/p>\n

Where the Oilers will need more against the Canucks is from their depth. Corey Perry and Ryan McLeod didn\u2019t manage a single point against the Kings; Adam Henrique, Warren Foegele, and Sam Carrick combined for just two goals in the series. Against a more balanced team like the Canucks, those guys will need to turn up the dial a little bit.<\/p>\n

Vancouver certainly didn\u2019t blow the doors off the Predators in their series, scoring just 13 goals over six games. Brock Boeser scored four of those goals himself, including three in the Canucks\u2019 dramatic come-from-behind Game 4 victory that moved them within one game of the second round. Four other Canucks players scored twice each in the series: Dakota Joshua, Elias Lindholm, and Pius Suter.<\/p>\n

Aside from that, only one other Canucks player scored a single goal against Nashville: J.T. Miller, who lit the lamp in the first period of Game 3. That means Elias Pettersson didn\u2019t score a single goal, nor did Quinn Hughes, Conor Garland, Nils H\u00f6glander, Filip Hronek, and a whole host of others. <\/p>\n

While Hughes still very much lived up to his billing as one of the top defensemen in the league, Pettersson struggled to make a consistent impact against the Predators. The 25-year-old forward managed just three points (all assists) in six games while taking just eight shots on goal and averaging 18:38 of ice time per night. If the Canucks want to stand a chance against the Oilers, they\u2019ll need EP40 to round back into form.<\/p>\n

Defense<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve already talked at length about Hughes, who scored 17 goals and 92 points in 82 games during the regular season while logging a ton of minutes on the Canucks\u2019 blue line. But apart from Hughes, the Canucks\u2019 defensive group is a bit of a hodgepodge mix of veteran standbys, recent free agent signings, and mid-season trade acquisitions, none of whom is necessarily an ideal top-pairing type \u2014 but they all have their uses.<\/p>\n

One of the most surprising Canucks down the stretch was Nikita Zadorov, whom the team acquired from the Calgary Flames back in November for the relatively paltry price of a 2026 third-round pick and a 2024 fifth-round pick (the latter of which the Flames subsequently flipped for Nikita Okhotiuk). Zadorov has long been a bit of a divisive figure among onlookers around the league, but he appeared to settle into a strong rhythm later on in his tenure with the Flames and has built upon that over the past couple of months. The 29-year-old defenseman scored twice, added an assist, and averaged 20:20 of ice time per game in the Nashville series.<\/p>\n

The rest of Vancouver\u2019s defensive group includes Filip Hronek, Tyler Myers, Ian Cole, and Carson Soucy, which probably represents a slight upgrade over Edmonton\u2019s bottom-four group of Darnell Nurse, Cody Ceci, Brett Kulak, and Vincent Desharnais. (The questions we raised about the Nurse-Ceci pairing before Round 1 still exist heading into Round 2).<\/p>\n

But Edmonton will always have a chance to make some serious noise in this series as long as their top pairing of Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm is on the ice. They\u2019ve fit together as seamlessly as any other defensive duo has in the last decade, with Ekholm\u2019s rock-steady defensive conscience perfectly offsetting Bouchard\u2019s free-wheeling offensive tendencies. Every true top pairing has to be able to make an impact at both ends of the ice, but few do it to the extent Edmonton\u2019s does.<\/p>\n

Goaltending<\/h2>\n

Hah, where do we start? <\/p>\n

The Canucks won their series against the Predators with their third-string goalie between the pipes after both Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith went down with various injuries in earlier games. Not too many people \u2014 save perhaps for CanucksArmy managing editor David Quadrelli \u2014 had Arturs Silovs on their radar screens before Game 4 between the Canucks and Predators, but he quickly changed that. The 23-year-old backstopper first made the hockey world take notice with his performance playing for Team Latvia at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, but he made himself a household name in Vancouver with his performance in the Canucks\u2019 final three games against the Predators. <\/p>\n

Silovs posted a .938 save percentage over Games 4 to 6 and capped the series off with a 28-save shutout in the decisive Game 6 win. To put it more succinctly: Canucks owner Francesco Aqulini tweeted on Friday that he owes Silovs a nice dinner. It remains to be seen if and when Demko will be able to return to the fold for the Canucks during these playoffs \u2014 recent reports indicated it might be near the end of Round 2 \u2014 but it\u2019s difficult to imagine Rick Tocchet willingly switching away from Silovs right now, even if DeSmith is available. The hot hand holds all the power over a small sample of games.<\/p>\n

On the Edmonton side, it appears Stuart Skinner will keep the reins to start the series against the Canucks after playing each and every minute against the Kings in the first round. Skinner went 4-1 with a .910 save percentage in the Western Conference quarterfinal series, with his most memorable performance coming in Game 4 (in which the Oilers were outshot 33 to 13 but won 1-0). Even with Jack Campbell now back on the roster and Calvin Pickard still waiting in the wings, it\u2019s hard to conceptualize the Oilers switching away from their de facto starting goaltender anytime soon unless he completely falls apart in the early stages of their series against the Canucks. <\/p>\n

Injuries<\/h2>\n

As mentioned, Demko remains out of commission for the time being as he continues to recover from an injury he suffered late in the Canucks\u2019 Game 1 win against the Predators. The Canucks have been understandably protective over any specifics related to the injury, but most reports suggest that Demko is dealing with a knee issue and could be able to return in the later stages of this series against the Oilers after missing the final five games of Round 1. Demko took part in the Canucks\u2019 optional morning skate ahead of Game 6 on Friday. As of now, he\u2019s expected out through at least Game 4.<\/p>\n

Conversely, Adam Henrique (lower-body) is doubtful for Edmonton in Game 1.<\/p>\n

Intangibles<\/h2>\n

One of the most tried-and-true recurring storylines in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is that of the unheralded rookie goalie who carries his team all the way. Is it crazy to think Silovs could be that guy for the Canucks? Granted, the Oilers are going to be a much more difficult test for him than the Predators were, but this is a guy who rose to the occasion under immense pressure at the Worlds last year and did a fine job behind a spotty AHL defense in Abbotsford during the regular season. He has \u20182010 Jaroslav Halak\u2019 written all over him.<\/p>\n

If Silovs is going to lift the Canucks past the Oilers, he\u2019s going to need to shut down Zach Hyman, who absolutely torched the Kings with seven goals in five games during the first round. Hyman became one of the unlikeliest 50-goal scorers in recent NHL history during the regular season and is no stranger to going nuclear during the playoffs, memorably taking the Flames to the woodshed in their series in 2022. This is probably going to go down as Hyman\u2019s career year, but he\u2019s just got that \u2018it\u2019 factor right now.<\/p>\n

Series Prediction<\/h2>\n

This is going to be a firecracker of a series. The Oilers are a bit more battle-tested, but while they\u2019re the only Western Conference team to make it out of the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, they also have yet to win a single game in the Western Conference Final or beyond during the Connor McDavid\/Leon Draisaitl era. They\u2019re also the lower seed against a Canucks team that had their number in the regular season.<\/p>\n

The Canucks have a chance to put their stamp on this series with strong performances in Games 1 and 2 at home. If they can remain disciplined and get a bit more production from the likes of Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Quinn Hughes, they could quickly emerge as the favorites. It\u2019s tough to bet against a team with star power like the Oilers\u2019, and there\u2019s a very good chance they do end up pulling this off, but I\u2019ll say the Canucks take this one with a dramatic Game 7 overtime win on home ice \u2014 with Pius Suter scoring the clinching goal yet again. <\/p>\n

Canucks in seven games.<\/strong><\/p>\n

_____<\/p>\n

Hey, hockey heads! Get ready for\u00a0The Daily Faceoff Playoff Parlay Challenge! Each game day, answer four playoff prediction questions like who will win the first game, will points be over or under or what will be the highest-scoring period? Daily winners snag gift cards, while each round\u2019s champs pocket cash! Play now at\u00a0games.dailyfaceoff.com\u00a0and prove your puck prowess! It\u2019s fast, it\u2019s fun, and it\u2019s all about hockey! Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

_____<\/p>\n

Recently by Mike Gould<\/h2>\n

Originally Appeared Here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vancouver Canucks: 1st in Pacific Division, 109 points, def. NSH in Round 1 (4-2)Edmonton Oilers: 2nd in Pacific Division, 104 points, def. LAK in Round 1 (4-1) Schedule (ET) To… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,5015],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26427"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26428,"href":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26427\/revisions\/26428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontondailynews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}