Following a dismal performance on Saturday night, the Vancouver Canucks will try to rebound in Game 7 Monday night against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena.
These two teams have met twice before in the post-season, once in the 80s and once in the early 90s — the Oilers won both times, but on Monday, the Canucks will have a shot at rewriting history.
Head Coach Rick Tocchet says everyone has to step up, especially with superstar forward Brock Boeser expected to miss the game because of a blood clotting issue that luckily isn’t considered life-threatening.
“When you get out there you want to be a difference-maker, you want the puck. I feel when we’re at our best, Game 5, everybody wanted something whether to be a support guy, or the guy backing someone up, and I think we got to get to that attitude especially in Game 7,” said Tocchet on Sunday.
“The word desperation, everyone uses it for Game 7. Desperation is not running around and panicking. Desperation is there are certain spots you got to be in. There are some plays you got to make under desperation. That’s kind of the message.”
Game 6 was a major disappointment — the Canucks simply didn’t perform, but Tocchet is confident they’re ready to go for Game 7.
“I’ve talked to a few guys. [Nikita Zadorov] is joking around. A lot of guys are very confident, joking around. It’s a loose group. But also, there are some guys that you can tell that why it’s important that you get to them, talk to them, make them understand you’ve done it all year and just replay those good things in your head. That’s really what it comes down to, visualization,” he said.
Tocchet is aware the Oilers will come out, much like they did on Saturday, firing on all cylinders. “To me, it’s a team energy thing. We need really good energy from everybody.”
The head coach isn’t committed to any major changes ahead of puck drop.
“We know how they want to play, they know how we want to play and it really comes down to execution.”
Anyone hoping to see netminder Thatcher Demko return between the pipes will need to keep waiting. Tocchet confirmed over the weekend that he won’t play, while praising Arturs Silovs.
“Two weeks ago, it was the same thing. You’re in, you’re playing in a playoff game. So, he dealt with it then, so there’s no difference. Game 7, same thing, same bright lights, same pressure and he’s dealt with it. He’s had a crash course … he’s dialled in.”
Tocchet says he’s being careful not to overwhelm the players with too much advice.
“Not too much though. I find that if you give too much information, too much, too much, it tenses guys. Less is more, but the less that we give has got to be obviously some smart stuff, don’t get me wrong, but this isn’t the time to be hovering over guys.”
Forward J.T. Miller has gone head to head with Oilers superstar Connor McDavid throughout this series and it’s expected he’ll have to find a way to down him down again Monday night.
“Millsy’s not going to go out there and just be a one-man show and shut [McDavid] down… but our layers got to help and I think that’s what it comes down to. A perfect example is Game 5. We got to play that style but with that determination.”
Miller says the Canucks tend to respond well after playing poorly.
“We expect the same as a group. That’s part of the culture in here, the standard and that’s what we’re looking forward to. You’ve got to embrace the hardness. If you want an easy night, you’re going to struggle tomorrow. It’s pretty simple. You can’t hide in games like these.”
He adds it’s all going to come down to whichever team wants it more.
“It’s going to be a big will game — that’s for sure.”
One main storyline for the Canucks during the post-season, has been the lack of shots on net. They had just 18 on Saturday, when falling 5-1 to the Oilers. Miller says don’t worry about it.
“We’re not a high-volume shot team. I think we’ve learned that, in general. It’s not a huge panic for us. I just think when we’re on our game, we get more looks and we shoot the puck. It’s not like we’re going to cross the blueline and look to shoot every single puck on net. Obviously, we need to be better. We know that and the good news is we can turn the page and there’s one game to do it and try to earn it.
Defenceman Carson Soucy expects both sides to playing with nerves.
“This group — we’re fighters. Right from training camp, we came in with a mindset that this year was going to be different, we’ve shown that through the year that the up’s and down’s — we’re going to come back next game ready to play. I think it’s going to be a really good game.”
Puck drop is just after 6 p.m.
The winner will go on to play the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.
The last time Rogers Arena hosted a Game 7, it was June 15, 2011, when the Canucks lost the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins and the riot ensued.