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The second round playoff series between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks seems likely to start early next week.
All signs point towards the two Pacific Division powerhouses playing Game 1 on Tuesday, May 7. Sportsnet‘s David Amber referenced Tuesday on tonight’s broadcast and it’s also been reported by Postmedia‘s Patrick Johnston as a likely start date.
Although J.T. Miller did reference Game 1 as potentially being on Sunday during a post-game interview tonight, signs point to that being incorrect. The NHL has already released the schedule for two games on Sunday and this series was not included. It seems unlikely that this game would be added 24 hours in advance.
Rogers Arena is booked on Monday for a Pearl Jam concert which means that night is not an option.
The Canucks will host the first two games of this second round series as they won the division crown for the first time in 11 years during the regular season.
The matchup was finalized earlier today with a 1-0 Canucks shutout victory over the Nashville Predators. The Oilers already booked their ticket to the second round on Thursday after dismissing the Los Angeles Kings.
These two teams met four times during the regular season with the Canucks sweeping the Oilers. However, three of those games happened before the Oilers fired former coach Jay Woodcroft and promoted Kris Knoblauch who subsequently turned the season around.
These two teams have not met in the playoffs since 1992.
#Canucks and #Oilers will play each other in the playoffs for the first time since 1992.
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) May 4, 2024
The Oilers have plenty of firepower. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are first and second among all skaters in playoff points while defenceman Evan Bouchard is not far behind. They averaged more than twice as many goals-per-game than the Canucks in the first round.
The Canucks advanced to this point because of their defence and penalty kill. They killed 90.9% of their penalties in the first round against a Predators power play that was one of the best in the league post-All Star Break. They’ll now face a much larger challenge in an Oilers unit that clicked at 45% during the first round.
Thatcher Demko will miss the start of the series but it is possible that he returns in the latter half. His presence, or lack thereof, will play a large factor in this series. In the meantime Arturs Silovs will look to extend his run of good play for the Canucks.