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Vancouver Canucks @ Edmonton Oilers Game Preview

Oilers locked up home ice in round 1 last night in Vancouver. With a little help from Los Angeles, they can lock up the Pacific tonight.

Swashbuckler Iiro
Swashbuckler Iiro
Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports


Vancouver

@

Edmonton
30-41-9, 69 points, .862 p/g Ranks 46-26-9, 101 points, 1.238 p/g
Pacific Division - 7th Pacific Division - 2nd
29th Points per Game 8th
29th Special Teams 11th
29th Shots on Goal 9th
23rd Goals Against per Game 8th
7 PM MDT
TV - Sportsnet
Radio - 630 CHED
Rogers Place

The opposing view

PROJECTED
FORWARDS

Patrick Maroon - Connor McDavid - Leon Draisaitl
Milan Lucic - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jordan Eberle
Benoit Pouliot - David Desharnais - Zack Kassian
Drake CaggiulaMark Letestu - Iiro Pakarinen

DEFENCE

Oscar Klefbom - Adam Larsson
Andrej Sekera - Kris Russell
Darnell Nurse - Matthew Benning

GOAL

Cam Talbot
Laurent Brossoit


Iiro, Your Hero

Milan Lucic dragged Canucks defenceman Troy Stecher what seemed like six hundred metres across the Vancouver ice before getting a shot off.  Lucic's follow through would connect with Stecher's face, crumpling him to the ice.   Iiro Pakarinen was on clean up duty, and the goal ended up being Edmonton's game winner of the evening.

The win guaranteed home ice for the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs.  Depending on how things shake out tonight, they'll face either the Sharks or Flames in the first round.

The Oilers are in strange waters.  They can become Pacific Division Champions with a regulation/OT win tonight against these same Vancouver Canucks. A regulation win coupled with a regulation loss by the Ducks against the Kings, and your Oilers are 2016-17 Pacific Division Champions.  They get a banner with that, yeah?

The Oilers are saying

That's Oilers goalie Cam Talbot on the possibility of the Oilers taking the Pacific

The Oilers might win the Pacific tonight.  They might not.  They might win in regulation and the Ducks might lose in regulation.  Mostly good things have happened so far this season.  Why not one more?

The opponents are saying

That's Canucks forward Brock Boeser on his team's success versus his individual success.

Boeser had a goal in Vancouver's 3-2 loss to the Oilers last night.  In eight career NHL games, the 20 year old forward has five points (4-1-5)

Have some of this

  • Yeah, you gotta feel for Troy Stecher a little bit here.  The goal was Pakarinen's second of the year, and it turned out to be the game winner.
  • Connor McDavid is two points away from 100.  His 98th point was an assist (68th of the season) on a power play goal from Mark Letestu.  No sweat.
  • If the Oilers didn't have the Pacific Division on the line, I'd say they'd go with Laurent Brossoit in net.  They do, and I don't think they will.  Cam Talbot (42-22-8, .919 SV% / 2.39 GAA / 7 SO). will likely start game 82 of the season, while the Canucks will likely go with Ryan Miller to close their season out. (18-29-6, 2.80 GAA / .914 SV% / 3 SO)
  • The Oilers will be without Tyler Pitlick (knee).  The Canucks will be without goalie Jacob Markstrom (knee), Sven Baertschi (undisclosed), Jack Skille (ankle), Joseph Cramarossa (foot), Markus Grandlund (wrist), Brendan Gaunce (upper body), Anton Rodin (knee), Derek Dorsett (shoulder) and defencemen Erik Gudbranson (wrist).
  • CROWN ME AGAIN: It's simple, really.  Win tonight in regulation or OT. The Kings need to do a solid for the Oilers by knocking the Ducks off.  Pacific Division Champs if it all goes down that way.
  • Playoffs start Wednesday.  I can't friggin' believe it either.