May 20, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

The Edmonton Oilers advanced to the Western Conference Final after emerging triumphant in Game 7 with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.

The Oilers outshot the Canucks 13-2 in the first period, but had to survive a double minor penalty to escape the first period tied at zero. Then the Oilers exploded for three goals in the second period to take a 3-0 lead. The Canucks got two late goals to get within one, but the Oilers ultimately held on for the win.

Call Outs

Ryan McLeod made two big mistakes in Game 7. He took a double minor penalty for high sticking Elias Pettersson in the corner late in the first period. McLeod also fumbled a routine breakout pass that led to a turnover and a Connor Garland goal that got the Canucks on the board and gave them life.

They had a three-goal lead, but they sat back and defended far too much in the third period. They only managed two shots on goal in the final frame. They ended up allowing the Canucks to get back into the game. Visions of Game 1 of this series and of Game 5 of the second round in 2017 started swirling through the heads of Oilers fans. Thankfully the Oilers were able to hold on for the win.

Stand Outs

It’s always a great story when the local boy comes home and makes a difference against his hometown team in the playoffs. Burnaby, BC native Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was a difference maker in Game 7. He scored the game winning goal on the powerplay to eliminate his hometown Canucks. Nugent-Hopkins also got an assist on the Oilers’ second goal. The longest tenured Oiler had the biggest impact in Game 7.

Evan Bouchard got two assists in this game. He blasted a Bouch bomb from the point that was tipped home by Zach Hyman, and he blasted a shot wide that went straight to Nugent-Hopkins for the game winner. Bouchard ended up with a whopping twelve points in the series, which is ridiculous. His twenty points through the first two rounds of the playoffs is an NHL record for defencemen according to Sportsnet.

Oilers Evan Bouchard's 20 points are the most in NHL history by a defenceman through the first 2 rounds of a single postseason pic.twitter.com/WhbvoVmYpt

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 21, 2024

Shoutouts

Cody Ceci clearly thrives on the pressure of Game 7. Ceci opened the scoring of Game 7 in round one against the Los Angeles Kings in 2022, and he opened the scoring again in Game 7 of this series. He added three shots on goal in 19:40 of ice time.

Dylan Holloway was a menace out there in this game. He got an assist on Ceci’s goal. He added two shots, two shot blocks, and three hits. Holloway climbed into the top six in the latter half of this series, and he has responded with a couple of points and a lot of solid play. We are watching the evolution of Holloway unfold before our eyes.

Stuart Skinner’s .882 save percentage in this game is deceiving. He made 15 saves on 17 shots. The first goal against didn’t happen until the 11:27 mark of the third period, and that was a result of the McLeod turnover. Skinner was calm, cool, and collected throughout the game despite facing minimal work. He responded to being pulled earlier in the series by allowing only three goals on 32 shots in the final two games of the series.

Wrap

That was an incredible series! Respect to the Canucks for a hard fought battle. They had a fantastic season and were a worthy adversary in the second round.

The way the Oilers grinded this series out was great to see as an Oilers fan. They suffered a heartbreaking loss in Game 1, and responded with a big overtime win in Game 2. The Canucks were frontrunners all series, but the Oilers turned it on when their backs were against the wall after losing Game 5.

Connor McDavid wasn’t his dominant self in this series, and the Oilers had to rely on their defending to win a series. That would have been a recipe for disaster for the Oilers in the past, but they found a way this season.

The Oilers will now face the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final. The series will get started on Thursday night in Dallas.

Related: Call Outs, Stand Outs, and Shoutouts: Oilers force game 7 with a 5-1 victory