With the Edmonton Oilers win in Game 7, Mattias Janmark was the winner of the former Vegas Golden Knights against Teddy Blueger.
With the Edmonton Oilers win in Game 7, Mattias Janmark was the winner of the former Vegas Golden Knights against Teddy Blueger.
The Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in Game 7 to advance to the Western Conference Finals where they'll take on the Dallas Stars. The Oilers and Stars matching up means a former Golden Knight will be guaranteed to play in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Janmark spent two seasons with the Golden Knights after he was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks during the shortened 2020 season. He then spent the 2021-22 season with the Golden Knights and in 72 games he scored 10 goals and 30 points. He also played in 16 playoff games registering four goals and eight points including a hat trick in Game 7 against the Minnesota Wild.
He's been playing a similar role with the Oilers as he did with the Golden Knights. A bottom-six contributor who blocks shots and kills penalties. His production was lower than it has been in the past due to his TOI and shooting percentage going down.
The 31-year-old will be playing against his former team in the Western Conference Finals. He spent four seasons with the Stars and played in 297 games.
Blueger and the Canucks season comes to an end after a disappointing defeat. It took the Canucks too long to get into the game and the Oilers took full advantage of that.
Blueger wasn't much of an offensive threat in the playoffs but that isn't all that surprising when you factor in his role with the team. Similar to Janmark, Blueger is a defensive forward playing bottom six minutes.
The 29-year-old won the Stanley Cup last year with the Golden Knights after playing six playoff games. With the Golden Knights, Blueger registered three goals and eight points in 24 games, both regular season and playoffs combined.
The Latvian forward signed a one-year contract with the Canucks and is currently an UFA.
Janmark and the Oilers will have their work cut out for them against the Stars. The Stars' first two series wins were against the most recent Stanley Cup Champions. The series will be a battle and for the Oilers to come out on top, they'll need to find ways to deal with the Stars' relentless forecheck, something they tend to struggle with.
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