There were some clutch performances from members of the Oilers as they knock off the Canucks in Game 7.
For much of the second half of Monday night’s Game 7, an Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars Western Conference final looked clearer and clearer.
But blasting through the speakers of Rogers Arena was Simple Minds’ Don’t You Forget About Me as the Vancouver Canucks looked to finish their second-round series the way they started.
Almost two weeks ago, the Canucks trailed by three goals before they scored four unanswered to take Game 1 over a stunned Oilers.
In the do-or-die game for both teams, Edmonton got out again to a three-goal lead, leading past the midway point of the third period before Vancouver responded with two goals in a last-ditch effort.
But this time, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch called a timeout, reset his team, and they held on as the Canucks emptied the tank.
Just like that, the Oilers are Canada’s only NHL team remaining for the third straight Stanley Cup playoffs after beating the Canucks 3-2 in the game and 4-3 in the series.
"Our backs were against the wall – we responded," Oilers captain Connor McDavid told the Sportsnet broadcast after the game. "Really proud of the group."
The Oilers came out extremely hot in the game, but failed to take a lead until the second period. While Edmonton was attacking with every line on every shift in the first period, there were some holes in their defensive game that they ultimately staved off to hold the game at 0-0 after the first period.
The Canucks had some great chances, albeit not resulting in many shots in the first half of the game. Every line played great for the Oilers. There were a few blunders throughout, but no team can play a flawless game, either.
The game was tighter than needed for how much the Oilers seemed to dominate, especially early. It almost came back to haunt them as the Canucks became known for one thing in these playoffs: comebacks.
Here's what stood out the most with the Oilers' improvements in Game 7.
Clutch Oilers Defensemen
The Oilers' defensive play forced the Canucks to dump the puck in a lot, reducing the chances against them. The real turning point in the game was the Oilers' penalty kill that killed off the entire double-minor high stick to Ryan McLeod at the end of the first period, even outshooting the Canucks 1-0 with a Connor Brown breakaway.
The Oilers' defense has been solid in the series, with three blueliners scoring multiple goals in the seven games.
That includes Cody Ceci. He has gotten a lot of criticism during this post-season and over the past couple of years for his struggling defensive numbers. While it will probably be remembered the next time he makes a bad play, Ceci opened the scoring in the game to be the unsung hero early. No active defenseman has more Game 7 goals than Ceci, with two.
Evan Bouchard, as usual, came in clutch with another strong offensive performance. His 20 points are the most by a defenseman through the first two rounds of the playoffs in NHL history. It is also the first time in league history that three players from one team all have at least 20 points in the first two rounds, with Bouchard joining McDavid and his 21 points and Leon Draisaitl's 24 points.
Goalies Showed Up
One Canuck came to play, and that was Arturs Silovs. He not only made the save of the game on Draisaitl, but he kept the Canucks in the game that should have gotten out of hand by the start of the third period.
It was 23-4 in shots in favor of the Oilers at one point in the game. But as good as Silovs was, Stuart Skinner matched that and changed the narrative about him.
Skinner had to be sharp even though he wasn't tested as much as Silovs.
"He's so mentally strong – he always bounces back," McDavid said post-game.
In the biggest two games of the Oilers' season, Edmonton's starter did just that, helping win both and proving Knoblauch's great decision-making.
The Oilers went up 3-0 in the second period but saw a dominating period by the Canucks in the third to pull the game within one. Instead of continuing to play the game the Oilers had been, they honed in on defending. It is much easier to defend a lead in the offensive zone than in the defensive zone.
As a cherry on top, Zach Hyman has the second-most goals in a player's first 40 playoff games with the Oilers, with 25. Only Wayne Gretzky had more, with 30.
In the biggest game of the season, every single member of the Oilers showed up. And while Edmonton is only halfway there, Canada should be behind them as the team tries to end the Stanley Cup drought north of the border.