Who has the edge in the Vancouver versus Edmonton series? Who do you think wins and in how many games?
Czechboy: Originally I thought Vancouver had the edge. They had stronger defence and a stronger goalie, while have stronger forwards. However, no Thatcher Demko. At best that is now a draw and I feel an argument could be made that we are stronger in net with Stuart Skinner (more to say about him in a few questions). I think it will go seven games. I think the Vancouver Canucks are beautifully built and they did own us all regular season: four for four. Still, I say Edmonton Oilers in seven as we have a lot more recent playoff experience and are not on our third goalie.
Sean: Vancouver, unfortunately. The Oilers for years have been victimized by PDO. The Canucks have gotten by this season on what they keep showing is a sustainable and extremely high PDO. Now that is not to discredit what the Canucks have done and play it off as luck, not at all. They know how to have a potent and efficient offence with careful high quality shot selection. They will make teams pay for their mistakes. Between that and the possibility of a hot goalie in Arturs Silovs, I can easily see the Canucks with the edge here taking this series in six games.
Faiz: I think Vancouver may have a mental edge—while the first three wins were at the beginning of the season, and the last one had Connor McDavid out with injury, you can’t shake the fact that the Canucks have only trailed the Oilers for about 13 and a half minutes. That being said, the Oilers power play and penalty kill are both red hot right now, and whether Silovs is this year’s Adin Hill/Cam Ward remains to be seen. I think in almost every physical respect the Oilers have the edge, unless Demko is healthy enough to come back, in which case goaltending is in favour of the Canucks. I think the Oilers win, but they need to win it in five.
Greg: The Canucks are a formidable foe, but the Oilers are the favourites in my mind. The Oilers are a better team on paper and have far more experience and playoff success. Oilers in six is my guess.
Who was a pleasant surprise in Round 1 for Edmonton?
Greg: Dylan Holloway. The outline of an effective player has always been evident, and there were some signs of improvement during the regular season, but it seemed he was able to reach a new level, despite the limited icetime. It’s a surprise because the playoffs are tougher, but Holloway still managed to show that he has arrived at the doorstep of a regular spot in the lineup. This is a huge boost for the Oilers.
Faiz: Well you have both Skinner and Evander Kane, players that have been ragged on for not being good enough a lot this year, who played huge roles in the series. But I don’t know if that is necessarily a surprise, per se? Maybe it’s Brett Kulak being tied for the dcore lead in goals (1) and primary assists (1)? Maybe it’s Adam Henrique leading the team in hits apparently? I don’t know, to be honest I can’t say there were any surprises necessarily. Everyone kinda did what I expected them to do, from a positive perspective anyway.
Czechboy: Holloway was a great bonus. He couldn’t have found a better time to arrive and provided some great secondary scoring. The only Holland drafted player from the five-year Holland era in the lineup!
Sean: Vincent Desharnais. His much improved regular season has gotten him an increased trust from the coaching staff playing in more difficult situations against tougher opponents. The real test would be in the playoffs, which he struggled in last season. But through Round 1 he has shown a much improved poise and composure in high pressure situations, and can play playoff hockey, best evidenced by the picture of him with two Los Angeles Kings in headlocks at the same time.
Who was a unexpected disappointment in Round 1 for the Oilers?
Faiz: Warren Foegele for me. He started off alright scoring a goal and an assist in the first two games, but after that I didn’t really notice him as much. Granted, he did get moved down to the fourth line after losing his second line spot to Kane, but still expected more from him.
Sean: Corey Perry. He was held pointless in the series. One of only four players who played a game in that series. And even without the puck, he was often not very noticeable. The team brought him in for his leadership and experience, and maybe his contributions are being felt in other areas. But watching the games it was hard to even see when Perry was on the ice, nevermind making a positive impact.
Czechboy: Stuart Skinner was disapointing. Last year he was .883 SV% after 12 playoff games which is nowhere near close enough. After three games he was right around that sub .890 SV% level again. However, back-to-back solid games and he’s at .910 SV%. Maybe Stu has figured out his playoff game in his second go? He was .857 SV% in the fifth game after a shutout and .964 SV% game. Needs to find some consistency and make a few “TSN turning point” type saves.
Greg: In my opinion any first round surprises were positives for the Oilers. Forced to decide I might pick Warren Foegele, who had the best regular season of his career. Foegele did really well to earn a shot pinch-hitting higher up in the lineup, and might see some more time there later on these playoffs, but the expectation of an everyday top-six forward is too much.
What are the advantages you feel the Oilers have against Vancouver? Disadvantages?
Sean: The main advantage the Oilers have in this series is the star power. The Canucks cannot match what the core of the Oilers has. Another advantage the Oilers have is on special teams, largely as a result of that star power. A combined 145% PP+PK blows the Canucks out of the water, and that’s not a knock against Vancouver’s special teams at all as they were good in the first round as well.
Disadvantages will come in the form of intangibles, mostly. The Canucks are rolling, they are building off of the underdog mentality from being the surprise success this season. And they have a coach in Rick Tocchet who has built a system for this team that is helping them maximize their performance. This culture and environment around the team lends itself well to success and being able to control the momentum in the series exceptionally well.
Greg: Both rosters are very high quality, with little weaknesses to pick between. The star players are likely the difference. The Canucks forwards are quite strong, but McDavid and Draisaitl tip the scales. The Oilers blueline is quite strong, though Quinn Hughes might give the Canucks the advantage, although by fairly slim margins. When healthy the Canucks have the edge in goal. Oiler fans looking to break the stalemate should look to special teams, where the Oilers look to have the edge. The Oilers had an extraordinary special teams performance in the first round, but were also stronger than the Canucks through the regular season.
Faiz: I guess I kind of answered this already in the first question, but the Oilers power play is obviously an advantage over the Canucks. I think goaltending can be an advantage too if the Canucks stay with Silovs, but it’s the playoffs and an unheralded rookie becoming the hero is basically textbook at this point. One disadvantage is again the mental part. Vancouver has the fact that they beat the Oilers everytime this year, and have both home ice advantage while also being pretty clearly labelled the underdog. The pressure is on the Oilers, and while I think that they can handle it, it is a fact. Although I guess the Canucks do have the pressure that if they lose, their city will be burned down, which is arguably a bit more of a high stakes game.
Lukas: Our big advantage is McDrai. Our power play is a massive advantage. Filip Hronek appears to be injured (according to Czech media he is playing hurt) which would help a lot. Demko is out. Hughes and Hronek are both small for defencemen in the NHL, and that can be a problem in a seven-game playoff series. We have great forward depth as well. For instance, in Game 1, Adam Henrique is not available. Connor Brown is coming in, but we also have Sam Gagner waiting in the wings. This is great depth! Last, and never mentioned, we are top five in playoff wins since 2021! We are only behind Florida, Carolina, Vegas, and Colorado.
Disadvantages are the same old story. Stu is unproven. He has no real NHL backup in case he gets hurt. Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse were exposed repeatedly in Round 1, and I think every NHL team knows they are a weakness that can be exploited. Nucks have some great players who can give them fits.
Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire
