Hockey Night in Canada legend Ron MacLean called this series the Championship of Canada. The Edmonton Oilers won that title Monday night, beating the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 to win the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Vancouver’s offense just disappeared in the final two games. They had just five shots on goal in the third period of game seven, down three goals.
“I thought we played 52 strong minutes… we know how to make it stressful.” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. “Our backs were against the wall, we responded.” This was the 15th time in NHL Stanley Cup Playoff history that two Canadian teams met in a game seven.
The Oilers’ Penalty Kill Seized the Game in the First
The game turned late in the first period. Canucks had a golden opportunity with a four-minute power play at the end of the first. They did not get a shot on goal and gave up a short-handed breakaway chance to Connor Brown.
With eight minutes left in the third period, Vancouver finally got on the board. Connor Garland scored unassisted off a Ryan McLeod turnover, and it was 3-1. Just five minutes later, it was 3-2 on a goal from Filip Hronek.
“You knew they were going to push back; we made a couple of mistakes,” Oilers goaltender and Edmonton native Stuart Skinner said, “but it was insane the way we played especially the last two and a half minutes.”
Tocchet: Canucks Put Respect Back into This Franchise
Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said his team put respect back into this franchise.
“There’s no quit in this team. Obviously, I’m really proud of the guys,” Tocchet said. “We made a huge push there; I’m really proud. That’s a great team; early, they executed better than us; we didn’t have the puck enough.”
Puck possession is not a statistic the NHL keeps, but the Oilers had the puck for the majority of the game. The shot totals were 13-2 in favor of the Oilers in the first period and 29-17 in the game. The Canucks didn’t have one legitimate chance to score in the first 20 minutes.
Vancouver Canucks rookie goaltender Arturs Šilovs had just nine total games in his NHL career. He was spectacular in the playoffs. He kept the Canucks in games when their offense couldn’t get shots to the net.
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The Oilers Score Three Straight
Rogers Arena went silent after the Oilers scored near the end of the second period. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins buried a power play goal to make it 3-0 Oilers.
Cody Ceci got the first goal for Edmonton early in the second period. The names on the score sheet on this goal aren’t usually there. No McDavid, Hyman, or Draisaitl; Ceci got the goal, and Edmonton native Brett Kulak and Dylan Holloway got the assists.
Evan Bouchard made it 2-0 Oilers with his 10th point of the series and 18th of the postseason. He’s the top-scoring defenseman in the playoffs. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman got the assists; both are in the top ten in scoring in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Bradley Tachco is a career journalist. I spent 12+ years at CNN as a writer and producer. My sports are the NHL, MLB, and NFL. My goal: unique content. And my teams are the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills (yes, I’m a masochist), and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have been a Dodgers fan since I was old enough to think. I have gone through decades of despair with all three franchises. You can follow Bradley on X @p09691
