NHL · 1 year ago

Edmonton Oilers Advance to Western Conference Final with Game 7 Win

Sportsgrid Staff

Host · Writer

Edmonton Oilers Advance to Western Conference Final with Game 7 Win

Through to the 2024 Western Conference final after a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 on Monday, the Edmonton Oilers also dominate the top spots in the Stanley Cup points race.

Leon Draisaitl leads the postseason with 24 points in 12 games, followed closely by Connor McDavid with 21 points, and Evan Bouchard, who leads all defensemen with 20 points.

The Oilers are proving they’re more than just a two-man team. Despite McDavid being held scoreless for the third time in seven games and Draisaitl limited to one assist, Edmonton’s depth shone through. With their playoff future on the line, Bouchard contributed two assists, while Cody Ceci, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins provided the crucial goals. Nugent-Hopkins, the longest-tenured Oiler and a native of Burnaby, B.C., scored the game-winner on a sharp-angle power-play shot at 15:22 of the second period, giving the Oilers a 3-0 lead. This lead proved essential as the Canucks mounted a fierce comeback in the third.

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First-year head coach Kris Knoblauch praised Nugent-Hopkins and the bottom-six forwards for successfully killing off a crucial four-minute penalty late in the first period. “We played, I thought, really well,” said Knoblauch of his team’s first-period effort, during which Edmonton outshot Vancouver 13-2. “That could be a turning point in the game, but our penalty kill, like it has been for almost all the playoffs, has been really solid.”

The Canucks struggled on the power play, going 0-for-3 on Monday and extending their drought to four games without a power-play goal. Edmonton’s penalty kill was formidable, successfully killing 20-of-23 short-handed situations in the series.

Buy or Sell Oilers to Win Stanley Cup

Overall, the Oilers outshot the Canucks 29-17 in Game 7, maintaining an edge in five of the seven games in the series. Their 5-1 win in Game 6 was the only multi-goal victory on either side, highlighting the razor-thin margin between winning and losing in this hard-fought battle.

After allowing one goal on 15 shots in Game 6, Stuart Skinner faced just 17 shots in Game 7, only five of which came in the third period. The Oilers are now 8-4 all-time in Game 7 appearances, while the Canucks fall to 6-7. Edmonton is back in the Western Conference final for the second time in three years, the only Canadian team to reach the final four since the Montreal Canadiens’ run to the Stanley Cup final in the 2020-21 season. The Oilers are also the first road team to win a Game 7 in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Edmonton will now take on the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.