VANCOUVER – The Edmonton Oilers brought it Monday night.
In Game 7, the Oilers punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals with a convincing win over the Vancouver Canucks after losing earlier in the series.
In fact, it was more of a scrimmage than a typical Game 7. Until it got late in the game and Edmonton committed two unforced errors and the Canucks came back to do what they do – which makes every game so close. More than it should be.
The final score read 3-2, but the Zeilers’ form dictated more than the narrow scoreline.
From the drop of the puck in the first period, Edmonton came cleanly out of its own end. Stack dry heavy shifts on top of each other. They decisively won the special teams battle. They eventually dismantled the Vancouver team, until the series turned to Game 6, giving them more trouble than many experts expected in this second-round series.
The Canucks, on the other hand, were poor. As long as they weren’t. That’s the magic of this team.
Even after squandering a four-minute power-play opportunity late in the first period, Vancouver failed to create a single shot on goal in that sequence (and gave up a shorthanded breakaway). Even after creating almost no shots, Edmonton built a commanding lead.
Still, they found their way into the game late, aided by the Oilers’ unforced errors and the confidence that fueled an impressive playoff run.
This one, in fact, could have been more lopsided going into the third period if not for Arthur Siloves making a big stop to keep Brett Kulak out of a 10-bell opportunity and land another five-bell on Lyons. Draisaitl from his office below the right circle.
With the game in Edmonton’s control, the shot counter read 26 to Zeiler and just four to the Canucks. It was the 10th time in 13 playoff games that Vancouver failed to score 21 shots on net.
Finally, this dream campaign for Vancouver, which exceeded all reasonable expectations and was full of amazing moments, came to an end as the Canucks couldn’t trouble Stuart Skinner with enough quality until it was too late.
In particular, without top scorer Brock Boser, Vancouver lacked creativity and often lost control of the puck against Edmonton in Game 6 and Game 7. They made it fun. There is no doubting the guts of this team.
The Canucks are a tough team to kill no matter what injuries they have.
The Oilers will advance to the Western Conference Finals to face the Dallas Stars, leaving Vancouver to nurse its wounds and weigh some exceptionally tough decisions on how to keep this impressive and overachieving team looking for an offensive standard.
The decisive game five of this second round playoff series.
Power outage
Vancouver’s power play started the season as an elite unit, but faded in major ways and was largely a non-factor in the playoffs.
Until Monday night, the Canucks’ lack of five-for-four success hasn’t bothered them too much to this point in this playoff run — mostly because of how suddenly their penalty kill has been and how they’ve dominated and given the Nashville Predators. Even the Oilers impressive PP1 problem as this series goes.
Late in the 7th, however, on one of Vancouver’s first sustained hard shifts late in the frame, Ryan McLeod caught Elias Peterson on a careless high stick. His stick drew blood, and the call was a double minor in Vancouver’s favor with 3:46 left to play.
What ensued was a horror show of Canucks power play opportunities. In a game that started in nightmare fashion for Vancouver, they had a chance to get some real traction, and the Canucks just couldn’t get a shot on goal.
They struggled to set up, lifting the puck up with alarming frequency, only to be outnumbered on more than one occasion despite the extra skis. They even gave up another breakaway opportunity, when Connor Brown shot into Arthur’s Silove’s pad while trying to go for the five-hole.
It was a great chance that Siloves squandered when Cody Ceci scored with a long-range slap shot that he didn’t see within a minute of McLeod’s penalty.
It seems the distance
The Oilers are used to attacking inferior teams.
With superstars like Leon Draisaitl and McDavid and a 50-goal frontcourt produced by Zach Hyman, the tip of the spear for Edmonton is in and around the blue.
But against Siloves, a stable young goaltender with a large frame and exceptionally explosive athleticism, the Oilers’ preferred offensive style played right into the Vancouver rookie’s hands.
Siloves is very talented and can stop NHL shooters. His inexperience at the NHL level may show a bit, but like most young netminders, he’ll be battling in NHL-level screens against anything big-bodied, quick and helpful players can find in America. League level.
Facing elimination following Game 5, Edmonton had to adjust. And they started testing Siloves with screens and overlap traffic from distance, five-on-five and the power play. That approach paid off big in Game 7.
Siloves was Vancouver’s best player tonight and has acquitted himself exceptionally well this postseason. Make no mistake, Vancouver is undefeated in Game 7 scoring.
As the Oilers looked to create offense, but with traffic, there were three sequences that came out of spot kicks — Cody Ceci’s clean shot that was partially deflected by Nils Åman, Evan Bouchard’s blast that deflected Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ wide shot that kept the endboards and over Siloves — this game and this one. They turned the series in Edmonton’s favor.
Cody Ceci: Mr. Game 7
Cody Ceci has received a lot of criticism. It is not exactly unauthorized. Earlier in this series, he struggled to the point where he was relegated to the third pairing with Brett Kulak to start Game 4.
But just like the Oilers did last game 7, Ceci scored the opening goal in the second period to get the team out.
Two years ago, Ceci surpassed Connor McDavid’s 13:15 in a winner-take-all game against the Los Angeles Kings. Edmonton eventually won 2-0.
On Monday, Dylan Holloway faced off in the offensive-zone and returned it to Kulak at the point. Kulak slipped it to Ceci, who fired a Weitzer over the left shoulder of Canucks goaltender Arturs Siloves.
Ceci’s goal 1:16 into the second sparked the Oilers offense. Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins then scored before the break to extend their lead.
But outside of Mr. Game 7 Blast, they won’t reach that level.
The dominance of Bouchard
When Jay Woodcroft was asked about Evan Bouchard going through tough times, the former Edmonton coach noted that the defense often plays better when the lights are on. Bouchard raised his game in the game, Woodcroft said.
Well, Bouchard has done it again.
Bouchard had a great first round, but has stepped it up a notch in this series against the Canucks. He was outstanding, scoring four times, including the game-winning goals in Games 2 and 4.
Bouchard recorded two assists, the first while playing against Hyman. Those two assists gave him 11 points in a row. He has 20 points in 12 games, leading all Blue players – just like he did in the 2023 playoffs.
The 24-year-old may have been the Oilers’ best player against Vancouver. If not for Leon Draisaitl, he might be their best player in the playoffs.
The Oilers power play wins
Edmonton’s power play was the way it was coming into the contest. He hasn’t scored since the 4th quarter of the game, making nine unsuccessful attempts. They hit double figures in another scoreless start in the second Monday.
Although the Oilers’ power play was a mess in Game 5, going 0-for-5, it has been showing signs of life since then. That was evident in Game 7 when Draisaitl was robbed of their first chance on a one-timer in the dying seconds.
They finally broke through. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins grabbed the rebound off the end boards and fired a shot past a crowded Siloves.
That made it 3-0 and Vancouver’s much needed goal following a third period comeback.
Edmonton always says the timing of its power-play goals is more important than the number. The Nugent-Hopkins marker is sure to fit this theory.
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(Photo: Jeff Vinick/NHL via Getty Images)