Achi news desk-
The Edmonton Oilers are sick and tired of hearing about it. They don’t want to be asked about it anymore.
They know very well that the Vancouver Canucks swept the four games between the two teams in the regular season. They also know from experience that regular season results mean nothing during the playoffs.
Yet the Oilers can’t shake the headline narrative for their Western Conference second-round series against the Canucks, which begins Wednesday in Vancouver.
“I don’t know how much more we need to talk about this,” said Leon Draisaitl, who was dominant in the Oilers’ first series win over the Los Angeles Kings. He had 10 points and was also a big part of the penalty kill unit that didn’t allow a goal in five games.
“We’re going into Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. We don’t care about what happened in the regular season. And I bet you they don’t either, as much as you think.
“We’re a different team now. It’s going to be tight, with two very good teams going at it. The team that plays better hockey will win.”
Draisaitl pointed to the fact that three of those Canucks wins over Edmonton — including a season-opening 8-1 demolition — came very early in the season, when the Oilers were facing a crisis that cost him his job. over to former coach Jay Woodcroft.
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The Oilers started the season 3-9-1 under Woodcroft. After coach Kris Knoblauch took over, the team went 46-18-5.
“It’s old, for sure,” Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais said of the season series talk. “It’s been so long. People still ask about it … Those first three games were, like, six or seven months ago. We are a different team. And, at the end of the day, whatever happened in the regular season means nothing.
“The most important part is the first game on Wednesday, the rest doesn’t matter.”
Core players like Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and defenseman Darnell Nurse know the mantra “regular season means nothing” too well.
Back in 2020-21, they were on the other side of this discussion, with the Oilers winning seven of nine regular season games against the Winnipeg Jets, including all six of the final six, only to be swept by the Jets in the first round of the game. the playoffs.
The Canucks-Oilers series is Canada’s de facto NHL championship, as the winner will be the last team standing north of the border.
“It’s exciting,” Draisaitl said, comparing it to the Oilers’ playoff series win over the Calgary Flames two seasons ago.
“The Battle of Alberta was great, it was a lot of fun to be a part of. I’m sure this series will write its own story. We are ready.”
The Oilers will have had a full week off by the time the second round begins on Wednesday, giving forwards Adam Henrique and Evander Kane extra time to recover from whatever has been keeping them off the ice. Both players missed Monday’s practice, but Knoblauch expects both to be skating on Tuesday.
“We’re hopeful they’ll be available for Game 1,” Knoblauch said.
If one or both of them can’t go, Knoblauch wouldn’t commit to how he might have to change the lineup. Henrique played the first round as a winger on the top line with McDavid and Zach Hyman, while Kane moved up to the second unit to play with Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
“We have a lot of guys that can fill that spot,” Knoblauch said of the potential vacancy on McDavid’s line. Mattias Janmark played there in practice.
“I don’t think there is one guy who can play there and do it all, but I think we can maybe do it by committee. Different men, different situations. We also have an opportunity for Zach Hyman to play left wing, if someone else is needed to play right wing.”
Edmonton-Vancouver schedule
The second-round NHL playoff series between the Oilers and Canucks opens Wednesday in Vancouver.
Game 2 is Friday at Rogers Arena Vancouver followed by the third and fourth games of the best-of-seven affair May 12 and May 14 at Edmonton’s Rogers Place.
Game 5, if necessary, is May 16 in Vancouver. Game 6 would be May 18 in Edmonton and Game 7 would return to Vancouver on May 20.
There will be two outdoor watch parties at Ice District on Wednesday and Friday – one in the plaza and the other in the fan park.
Due to previously scheduled events at Rogers Place, there will be no indoor viewing parties for the away games on Wednesday and Friday this week. Rogers Place hosts All Elite Wrestling on Wednesday and Foreign on Friday.
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
