[Second Round] Vancouver Canucks (P1) vs. Edmonton Oilers (P2)

[AlexanderM]

43 minutes ago, Mando27 said:

My blind homerism says Canucks in 5, but we are missing our starting goalie.

Silovs has been great, Demko has been on the ice, so we may have all 3 goalies for the series, or at some point during the series. I like the sounds of that, given that DeSmith is also close.

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/canucks-thatcher-demko-returns-to-the-ice-ahead-of-game-6-vs-predators/

Edited May 4 by AlexanderM

[Moeknows]

51 minutes ago, Mando27 said:

My blind homerism says Canucks in 5, but we are missing our starting goalie.

Silvos is missing???

[BTueyCanucksFan]

Picking the Canucks in 5. Silovs has been amazing so far. IF this goes to 6 or more,  Demko should be back. All three of our goalies are better than anything Edmonton has. And we have owned them all year. Should be a fun series for us

[Rindiculous]

1 hour ago, Sapper said:

This should be a great series .... The NHL doesn't give a shit which of the 2 Canadian teams wins so we.may actually see decent officiating 

 

Oilers will score 2 to 3 per game ..... We need EP and a few others to show up this series as defense and goal tending alone won't best the Oilers like it did with the Preds 

They do want their golden boy mcdiver to go far

[Miss Korea]

If this series goes long we are about to see ungodly levels of toxicity from both fanbases

[Iron Fist]

gunna be tough beating the edmonton mcjesuses.  but canucks in 7

[ABNuck]

45 minutes ago, Rip The Mesh said:

For the record;  

 

We are playing a MUCH different Edmonton team than we did in the Reg Season. We take penalties (because we play a rough and tough game)...those penalties will sink us against their PP...it's fatal. IF we can stay out of the box more AND limit their dangerous chances when we do get called, we have a chance.

[OldFaithfulcap]

I hope we get a canucks feed with shorty. I hope the us takes it.

 

Please please

[CanuckMan]

It will be a tough play off series. They have offensive weapons for sure:

 

Mcdavid-Draisaitl

Hyman

RNH-Kane

Bouchard

 

Lots of offence there at different tiers/lines.

 

[NoCupSyndrome]

2 hours ago, Breadnbutta said:

Canucks in 4. Nashville gave us a good defense lesson.

 

Edmonton can't play defense we will shut them down.

 

Our 3rd stringer is better than their starter.

 

SWEEP

 

[Jaimito]

If PK remains as hot vs Preds, Nux will be able to beat Oils. 

 

Nux in 6.   But I did buy tickets to GM 7 for my parents.  Hope they don't need it. 

[24K]

This is going one of three ways.

A sweep either way by us or Oilers.

Oilers win in 6.

Canucks win it in 7. 

[24K]

Which is gonna break first.

 

Our system defense and especially our pk or Jeff Skinner. 

[Captain Hughes]

4-2 canucks. 

[Bob Long]

2 hours ago, Bounce000 said:

efs be like 

 

 

 

Sutherlands dilemma 

[Bob Long]

We are the underdog, EDM has no excuses.

 

EDM can't intimate us physically.

 

Lindholm knows exactly what he needs to do to handle mcdickie.

 

I like our chances.

[I.Am.Ironman]

We don't win this series without Pettersson contributing offensively. If he finds himself I think the Canucks can do it.

[hockeyfan-observer]

Don't think the regular season results will matter as much as Oilers are quite a different team from the November days - I personally think they are playing better tactically then those days and don't risk as much.  When they need some offence they come in waves - when then defend, it is in 5 man units.  Will be a tough series with constant adjustments from both sides.  Canucks are probably slight underdogs but probably won't mind - as the pressure is on the Oilers to advance in this series given the play in the last several years.

 

Hopefully the Canucks learned a few things about playing with patience during the Predators series - at least for tonight take their mind off it, relax a bit and get some much needed rest.

 

Congrats on the series victory.  Very impressive compared to the last several years.

 

 

 

Edited May 4 by hockeyfan-observer

[24K]

Winning game 1 is so important. Doing that will completely flip the narrative. 

[VegasCanuck]

2 hours ago, Coconuts said:

Oil in six

Stone the Heretic!!!!

 

Sorry, did I type that outside my head???

 

 

[VegasCanuck]

Just now, 24K said:

Winning game 1 is so important. Doing that will completely flip the narrative. 

Having Zadorov plant McDavid on his ass first game is important...

[Rip The Mesh]

47 minutes ago, CanuckMan said:

It will be a tough play off series. They have offensive weapons for sure:

 

Mcdavid-Draisaitl

Hyman

RNH-Kane

Bouchard

 

Lots of offence there at different tiers/lines.

 

Zadorov will render Kane a mute point, book it.

[Breadnbutta]

1 hour ago, Ilunga said:

 

Oilers can't play defense ?

 

So far their PK has been perfect. 

12 from 12.

 

And as for their offense, PP 9 from 20. And if you count the fact that Dubois and Doughty were only back on the ice for a few seconds after their penalties, it would be 11 from 20.

 

As for regular season, they allowed only 14 goals more than we did.

And scored 15 more goals than we did.

 

I do believe we can win this series however we are going to have to start scoring more. 

And play disciplined hockey.

 

The Oilers are not going to be easy beats.

 

 

 

I credit Nashville emensely and Saros for our lack of scoring.

 

If you watch highlights they collapse 5 deep in front. They blocked so many shots and shooting lanes.

 

I can't see the Oilers playing that system.

 

It will be way more wide open.

 

What people are failing to mention is how stingy we were with Nashville as well.

 

Edmonton will have trouble scoring against us.

 

Canucks in 4 cause my bracket that I made before the playoffs says so 

[Hockey God]

Who is the most worthy (updated version)?

     At this point in the season, everybody thinks they have a chance.  But, come the playoffs, what happens on the ice is not determined by the actions of the players, the decisions of the coaches, or even the longing of each team's fans. Some call it “puck luck”, but really, the difference between winning and losing is in the hands of the hockey gods.

     True story: It's the night before Game 1 between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators, and Jim Rutherford knows he's been a bad, boastful boy, thinking he could turn the Canucks around before he retires and all. He has faith in his team and believes in his guys, but he knows if there's to be any chance at all, he's got to get right with the hockey gods. So he begs for an appearance before the council. They agree, and as quickly as Bobby Orr in his prime could skate down the ice on a one-man rush, he finds himself before the gods themselves.

     There are seven of them, like mafia godfathers of old, and they're hanging out in the local Tim Horton’s, stocking up on some Turkey Bacon Clubs and a wide selection of the best doughnuts and coffee on offer, playing cards, and planning a nice, tidy Nashville Predators Game 7 win over the Canucks on the back of the hoodoo they plan to put on Thatcher Demko and then his backup, when Jim comes knocking.

They're not hearing him at first, cuz of course, cocky does not sit well with the high court of all things hockey. After all, look what happened to Alexandre Daigle, and how they rewarded Chris Pronger in return.  But, he wears them down. He apologizes for the cockiness; lost his head, so much love for the game, couldn't help himself, and so on. “I just want one more Cup win for my legacy”.

     Then he hits them how the Canucks are the meek, waiting to inherit the earth, and he pleads with them to show their magnificence and benevolence, and now, like any good buttered-up deities, they're listening. They know that the Predators have had tastes of success before, and were thinking that now was the time to reward the fans for their loyalty to the team.  Jim, feeling bold, says that, ”It’s Vancouver’s time.  Can't you see your way clear to give me just one more Cup winning postseason, and the Canucks their own Cup win?”

     A playoff outcome requires a unanimous decision, and the council is split now -- three of them think the GM's passion is impressive, while three think that the hex on Vancouver, dating back to their entry into the NHL, deserves to continue, possibly to become as famous as the curses their baseball god brethren have put on teams like the Cubs and the Red Sox in the past.  Undermining such power could mean the onset of a precipitous sort of moral decline the likes of which the world has never seen.  And, then, there’s the seventh god, Hockey God, who feels that the team has lacked heart and soul all season, and need to lose in the playoffs before they can win to build what they are missing.  He wants to support the Canucks, but he’s afraid to stop the growth process.  In his eyes, they may have to lose to win, but he's tired of them losing so much since they entered the NHL, and hates his fellow gods for snuffing out their chances in the past.  

     Then, Jim plays his humble winning card: “I'm not asking for me, I'm asking for the good of the game.  A win for the Canucks will energize the people, make folks everywhere fans for life. Great water cooler talk, you know?  A win like this, and we're talking a popularity explosion, we're talking the greatest thing to happen to hockey since, well, the birth of “The Great One” Himself.”

     Mention of the Great One, anointed by themselves, always goes down well with the gods, and they all agree to help out.  As one god puts it:  “A good story of a team overcoming insurmountable odds always gives Us more followers.  Let’s do it!”  So, yes, the Canucks will win games after their #1 goalie, and their #2 goalie, go down with injuries, and yes, the player who can go unsung at times, Brock Boeser, will be allowed to singlehandedly carry the Canucks to victory in one game, showing some of the heart and soul Hockey God wanted to see, and building some team spirit to win more tough games in the future. 

     However, the gods can be fickle, and are still undecided as to whether they will allow the Vancouver Canucks to win any more games.  They need to feel the love from the Canuck fans.  Otherwise, they do have a soft spot for the Boston Bruins in the East (how else to explain what they did to the Canucks in 2011), and some even feel that a marquee match-up between the New York Rangers and the heir to the great one, Connor McDavid and his Edmonton Oilers, would do the league well.  A couple of the gods, though, are beginning to think that a story where Arturs Silovs carries the Canucks deep into the postseason, and even goes from playing minor league hockey to being the MVP of the Finals, kind of has a nice ring to it.  

 

Later …  

 

     The gods are all on a hurried conference call, worried about what their recent decisions have come to.  They wanted Connor McJesus to win, to bring the Cup back to Canada AND honour the Edmonton Oilers, the home of the Great One Himself, maybe even have them play against the Toronto Maple Leafs, even though they’re still a little unsure about giving the Leafs a chance to go to Round 2.  However, the ghost of Harold Ballard himself has been pestering them a lot recently, asking for forgiveness for his hockey sins, and the gods are beginning to feel that Toronto fans have waited long enough.  Still, this Silovs thing … they definitely wanted the Canucks to win Round 1, to give the fans some joy after the Benning years, but this young fellow has been playing out of his mind, doing things he just shouldn’t be doing at his age and with his experience.  It’s leaving them all a bit breathless, and nervous.

     One of the gods points out that it’s been a long time since a young goalie has made such a mark in the playoffs, the Sainted One, Patrick Roy, being the last great example.  They all nod their heads in agreement; Patrick always brings back fond memories with his fights, his ego, his charm.  And, who doesn't like a good ring joke?  Why not have another youngster make his mark in hockey history?  Another god then mentions that, after 2011, the penance has not yet been paid by Vancouver.  That was a stain on hockey, and standards must be maintained.  Nods all around.  This is a tough decision to make ....

     Then, a new window opens in the conference call, and it’s one of their baseball godkin.  It’s always nice to catch up, but this is serious business.  What is he doing here?

     “Feel good stories are the order of the day in baseball.  You look throughout our history, and you can find many examples of players coming up from the minors and making immediate impacts on their team and their season.  Some even go on to postseason glory, like Willie McGee, Whitey Ford, and just recently, Evan Carter.  You all now have a chance to write a story that would be unmatched in hockey history:  a 6^th round pick, beanpole of a goalie, third stringer when the playoffs started, who is thrust into a starting role after injuries, leading his team to glory and a Cup win.  McJesus will get his Cup someday, but live in the moment, guys, and give Silovs a chance at not just legend status in Vancouver, but hockey immortality.  This would be the equivalent of a Zamboni driver becoming a goalie and ... well, I know You didn't follow through with that one, thank Us, but still, You only live once … well, not for Us, but You know what I mean.  Now, gotta get back to My own area to see just what happened to Mike Trout ….”

     There is a period of silence after this interjection.  The seven gods stroke their ZZ Top-esque beards, hemming and hawing.  They’re unsure what to do, but the case has now been made for a Round 2 win that would echo through the ages, and what self-respecting deity doesn’t want to leave their own fingerprints on the game they love?  Will they do it?  The debate continues …      

[Silent Man]

1 hour ago, Rindiculous said:

They do want their golden boy mcdiver to go far

This is my biggest concern.