A key for the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 will be to stay out of the penalty box.

Few moments in sports are bigger than a Game 7. Both teams are fighting as hard as they can to avoid elimination and, in the case of the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers, advance to the Western Conference Final. With emotions high, staying disciplined is not always easy, but it could be the biggest factor in which of these two Canadian teams claim victory on Monday night.  

It is clear that Vancouver and Edmonton do not like each other. Tempers boiled over at the end of Game 6, with Nikita Zadorov, Vasily Podkozlin, Evander Kane, and Vincent Desharnais all receiving misconducts with under two minutes left. While playing a physical style game is encouraged, finding where the line is can be challenging as crossing over it may have dire consequences.

Ian Cole is one player Vancouver will lean heavily on heading into Monday night. Cole has played eight Game 7s in his career and understands how vital discipline can be. As Cole explains, emotions may be high, but balancing them is key when put into high-pressure situations.

"I think you want to try to harness the emotion and aggression as best you can, said Cole. "Use it to your to your benefit. You can't let it be a detriment to you as a player. We talked about walking these fine lines. You try to play with emotion but not take penalties. You try to be physical and not take penalties, right? So these are things that you try to balance out as best you can all season long. It becomes even harder as we go here, especially in the game."

As for Rick Tocchet, the key to success in Game 7 is playing smart, tough hockey. This means not throwing extra punches after the whistle and forcing the referees to pull players out of scrums and send them to the box. As Tocchet explains, the Canucks need to focus on their jobs rather than testing to see what they can and can't get away it. 

"We preach all the time," said Tocchet. "Yeah, take a punch in the mouth, whatever it takes. If the ref doesn't call it, they don't call it. You get up, and you get back in the play. Don't be sitting on your knee and looking at the refs. It's not the right time to do that stuff. Discipline is a huge factor in the way you play the game. Your coverages, the way you're a teammate, but also in a scrum. You want to hold your ground. You want to protect your goal, but you also want to get on top of their goalie. To me, a cross-check on the head or something like that is not the right way to approach this game; that's not toughness to me. Digging in is toughness, a good hit is toughness, and not accepting a box out is toughness. Getting the puck out on the wall that's to be as toughness."

Based on the first six games of this series, there should be plenty of physical play. The two teams have combined for 446 hits so far, with the series also including plenty of extracurricular activity after the whistle. In the end, if Vancouver can stay disciplined and frustrate the Oilers into taking penalties, it will have a massive impact during the game and will hopefully translate into a Game 7 win for the Canucks.

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