Oilers hope to turn tables on Canucks in Western 2nd Round

Edmonton and Vancouver have met twice beforehand within the playoffs, however not since 1992. The Oilers swept the Canucks within the best-of-5 first spherical in 1986 and gained in six video games within the best-of-7 Smythe Division Semifinals in 1992.

“It’ll be thrilling, it’ll be an identical feeling to the Calgary sequence, the Battle of Alberta,” McDavid stated, in reference to the 2022 Second Spherical towards the Calgary Flames. “The followers have been actually into it, two excited buildings, Canadian cities. I’d count on it to be fairly just like that. It’s a brand new problem and I’m trying ahead to that.”

Vancouver led the Pacific Division for many of the season and completed with its finest report (50-23-9) since 2011-12 (51-22-9). Edmonton struggled at first of the season and dropped right into a tie for final within the total standings with a 2-9-1 begin.

The Oilers fired coach Jay Woodcroft and assistant Dave Manson on Nov. 12 with a 3-9-1 report and changed them with Kris Knoblauch and Corridor of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey. respectively. Edmonton went 46-18-5 with Knoblauch and Coffey and completed second within the Pacific (49-27-6).

“I feel adversity helps all year long and we skilled it early,” Oilers ahead Zach Hyman stated, “the place we have been on the level the place the season was nearly on the road lower than 15 video games in, which is uncommon. That positively helps in a way that you just simply should play with a way of urgency all year long and study to be snug in stress conditions when everybody has counted you out in a approach.

“I feel we’re actually assured in our group, we love enjoying for one another, we’ve an excellent sense of perception within the locker room and confidence. I feel that each one comes from what you do all through the season as you construct your crew and adversity helped us construct by way of that.”

The Oilers gamers says they do not consider the Canucks have seen their finest sport.

“I hope not, in any other case we’ll be out in 4, I suppose,” Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm stated. “I hope we haven’t present them our greatest, I feel that’s to come back. It’s going to be a enjoyable sequence, with two Canadian groups and we’ve a few days to relaxation right here, which is sweet for the group that we will regroup after the primary spherical and are available again with a very good mindset.”

In a way, going again to Vancouver to begin the second spherical is a do-over for the Oilers, who went into the common season with excessive expectations however began it within the worst attainable approach.

“Do we’ve one thing to show? Completely, they beat us each single time,” Ekholm stated. “It’s going to be an excellent problem for us, however I feel we’re slightly little bit of a special crew than we have been within the first couple of matches we had towards them.”

Knoblauch was not round for the primary three video games towards the Canucks however is keenly conscious of the problem that awaits. Vancouver gave up 12 targets in six video games in its first-round win towards Nashville.

“We have now to step up our sport to beat them,” Knoblauch stated. “They’ve lots of strengths, lots of guys who can rating targets, however I feel the one factor they don’t get sufficient credit score for is how effectively they test and the way arduous it’s going to be for our forwards to attain targets.”