Vancouver Canucks Round 2, Game 4 Preview: Beware Of Retribution From The Oilers

Adam Kierszenblat

May 14, 2024, 07:01

Adam Kierszenblat

May 14, 2024, 07:01

The Vancouver Canucks head into Game 4 against the Edmonton Oilers looking for a 3-1 series lead.

After winning Game 3, the Vancouver Canucks head into Game 4 with a chance to go up 3-1 in their series against the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks have yet to lose on the road this postseason, going 4-0 up until this point. Game 4 should be a feisty one, as not only are the Oilers looking to stay in the series, but they could be looking for retribution after what happened to their captain in Game 3.

One of the big talking points heading into this game will be if Edmonton targets players as a form of revenge for Game 3. After the final whistle, Nikita Zadorov and Carson Soucy delivered cross-checks to Connor McDavid, and both received supplemental discipline from the league. On the other side, McDavid did not receive anything for his slash on Soucy while Zach Hyman was not punished for his cross-check to the head of Zadorov. While the NHL may step in and issue a warning to both teams pregame, Vancouver's players need to keep their heads up, especially against a team that has already shown this series they will slew-foot and deliver spears if given the opportunity.

Lastly, the Canucks need to get more shots and test the Oilers' goaltender more than 18 times. After three poor performances, Edmonton is expected to start Calvin Pickard, whose last start came almost a month ago. If Vancouver can keep possession in the opposing zone and force Pickard to make saves, they should be able to get a few past him and, once again, build an early multi-goal lead.

Players to Watch

Nikita Zadorov

Zadorov has quickly become a villain in this series. From insulting the City of Edmonton to his cross-check on McDavid, there is nothing more Oilers fans would love than to see him take a few big hits on Tuesday. If Zadorov can stay calm and collected on the ice, not only could he have a big game on the scoresheet, but he may be able to draw some penalties throughout the night.

Connor McDavid

McDavid had a frustrating Game 3. He has zero points and took cross-checks to both the face and back at the end of the game. The question for Game 4 is will he be able to have a bounce-back game or has playing over 28 minutes in each of the last two games create some fatigue for the Edmonton's Oilers captain?

Canucks Projected Lineup

Suter-Miller-Boeser

Lafferty-Pettersson- Mikheyev

Joshua-Lindholm-Garland

Åman-Blueger-Karlsson

Hughes- Hronek

Cole- Myers

Zadorov- Juulsen

Šilovs

DeSmith

Oilers Projected Lineup

Nugent-Hopkins- McDavid- Hyman