Oilers Series Summary: Vancouver Canucks 2024 Playoff Performers
Powerful performances from players in the Canucks’ second round series.
Photo by Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports - Oilers Series Summary: Vancouver Canucks 2024 Playoff PerformersAnother playoff series has come and gone, with this one ending in a less-than-favourable result for the Vancouver Canucks. To give them credit, this Vancouver team pushed a two-headed monster in the Edmonton Oilers to their brink, leading three times throughout this seven-game series. It’s hard to suppress the offensive output of two of the best players in the world in the manner that the Canucks did — but they still did it. While they may not have been able to “get the job done,” as so many may say, the things they accomplished shouldn’t be pushed to the side. We saw many powerful performances in Vancouver’s series against the Nashville Predators, and against Edmonton, many of these players took their play to the next level. Whether they scored clutch goals or locked the best hockey player in the world down, here are some players who made their mark during this series.
Brock Boeser
This series: 3–3–6, 6 GP
Total playoffs: 7–5–12, 12 GP
Considering the fact that he almost had a hat trick in Game 3 of this series, it’s no surprise that Boeser would find himself on this list. His 12 points in the playoffs had him tied for first in scoring on the Canucks alongside linemate J.T. Miller. Offensively, no one had been producing at the rate that Boeser had been — second to him in goals scored throughout the playoffs was Elias Lindholm, who had five.
As the team’s leading goal-scorer in the playoffs, Boeser thrived throughout the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Most impressive in his play style, however, was how effective he and his linemates had been in shutting down Connor McDavid (more on this later). For a forward known best for his lethal shot, the fact that Head Coach Rick Tocchet trusted him with this matchup says wonders about how much he has improved defensively.
When various media outlets broke the news that he would be out of Game 7 with a blood clotting issue, many considered the Canucks to be done — that’s how much of an impact Boeser had on his team this year. Unfortunately, his season ended in this manner, but with how he played this year, we wouldn’t be surprised if he repeated this postseason production next year.
Most impressive performance: the almost hat trick in Game 3.
Conor Garland
This series: 3–0–3, 7 GP
Total playoffs: 3–2–5, 13 GP
There may not have been a player more clutch than Conor Garland was throughout this postseason (a contestable claim, but a reasonable one). He scored three goals in this series, and I’m sure you’d remember all of them.
Game 1: Garland scores the Canucks’ fifth goal of the game to help the team win in regulation. Listen to the roof blow off of that arena.
Game 4: Garland scores the Canucks’ first goal of the game, beginning the team’s eventual comeback to send the game to overtime. While the Canucks eventually lost, this first goal helped the team wrangle their way back into the game.
Game 7: Garland scores a little more than halfway through the third period to ignite the team once more. Again, this game didn’t conclude in the way that the Canucks and their fans wanted it to. However, we can’t ignore Garland’s efforts to help push his team back into play.
Let’s not forget the mismatched matchups that Garland is more than willing to put himself in for the better of the team (note: Vincent Desharnais is 6’7”).
Most impressive performance: that electric Game 1 winning goal.
Elias Lindholm
This series: 3–4–7, 7 GP
Total playoffs: 5–5–10, 13 GP
Fun fact: not only did Elias Lindholm center that dynamic line of him, Dakota Joshua, and the aforementioned Garland, but he also placed third on the team in scoring throughout the postseason with 10 points in 13 games. The Canucks’ pre-All-Star Game Trade Deadline acquisition has proved himself in the playoffs, to the point where some have him sliding up their free-agency signing priority list.
The two-way centre has provided his agent with ample material to make him more money. He’s offensively comprehensible, defensively responsible, and provides even more centre depth to a team that just last season traded away their trademark faceoff man in Bo Horvat. At this point, Lindholm has won the second-most faceoffs in the postseason with 131 out of 256 draws (and I’ll be getting to number one on that list in a second). Many were concerned when Lindholm went quiet during the regular season, but his performance throughout the playoffs has shown fans that there was nothing to worry about whatsoever.
Most impressive performance: a two-point effort in Game 1 to help the Canucks come back from 4–1.
J.T. Miller
This series: 2–4–6, 7 GP
Total playoffs: 3–9–12, 13 GP
J.T. Miller showed up in more ways than one in this series. Remember how I mentioned that Elias Lindholm was second in faceoff wins throughout the playoffs? Well, it was none other than teammate J.T. Miller who beat him for first place with 150 wins in the same amount of draws. This impressive performance in faceoffs comes off of a six-point effort against the Edmonton Oilers. What’s more impressive, however, is his line’s suppression of offensive powerhouse Connor McDavid.
In Games 3, 5, and 7, Connor McDavid registered zero points. In Games 1 and 4, he produced one point. Confining the best hockey player on earth to zero points in a single game takes work, but to do it three times in a series shows effort. In comparison, McDavid registered at least a point in every game against the Los Angeles Kings.
There were no other players that fans drew to more so than J.T. Miller. No one’s name was chanted more than J.T. Miller’s at Rogers Arena (aside from maybe Stuart Skinner’s). This playoff run showed fans that J.T. Miller is more than just a great player — he’s also an indicator of the fanbase itself.
Most impressive performance: the Game 5 goal that sent fans all over the country out of their seats.
Artūrs Šilovs
This series: 3 wins, 3.42 GAA, .882 SV%
Total playoffs: 5 wins, 2.91 GAA, .898 SV%
If things had gone as planned, Artūrs Šilovs would have been enjoying another postseason with the Abbotsford Canucks. Instead, he was thrust into his first NHL playoff game against the Nashville Predators after both Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith were unable to play. The narrative has run through various media sites — “Canucks win with third-string goalie,” “Canucks third-string goalie steals the show,” or some iteration of that. No one expected a situation like this to happen in the playoffs. Moreover, no one expected the Canucks to make it so far into the postseason without their Vezina-nominated goaltender.
Artūrs Šilovs showed up for this team when they needed it most. He emerged in the postseason in a manner similar to the legendary “Bubble Demko” performances — stepping up when unexpectedly called upon. He exceeded the expectations set for him and has even made free agency marginally easier for his team to contend with by proving he can be a reliable backup or second man in an equal tandem.
Most impressive play: The Save.
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