Oilers Takeaways: How Edmonton Closed Out Game 7 Win vs. Canucks

During Oilers postgame coverage on 630 CHED radio, former NHL All-Star Rob Brown provided some insight into the impact of a timeout following Vancouver’s two quick strikes.

“I’ve been on the offensive side of it, where you’ve scored a couple of goals, and it’s almost a race back to centre (ice), because you want that puck to drop, because you know you’ve got them reeling,” said Brown. “You’re yelling at the ref to ‘hurry it up, we want to get going’, because you’ve got a team at that point is kind of like a deer in the headlights, just stunned.

“This game was completely in control, and then all of a sudden in a span of 3-4 minutes, it’s a one-goal game. We could hear on TV how crazy that place was, I can’t imagine it being in there,” Brown continued. “So as a player on the Canucks, you’re like, ‘let’s get going right now’, and Knoblauch slowed it down.

“All of a sudden, that energy that the Canucks had, it just dissipates a little bit, and now you get a fresh line out there, you’ve had a talking to (from the coach), you’ve settled back down, and the Oilers were very good after that …”

Nurse Rallies the Troops

Oilers alternate captain Darnell Nurse doesn’t have a reputation for being a vocal leader. In fact, fairly or not, the veteran defenceman really doesn’t have a reputation around his leadership, period. That’s not to say Nurse isn’t a good leader, it’s just that outside of the Oilers locker room, little is known about how he functions in that role.

So it’s probably fitting that fans didn’t get to see what happened during the game’s final TV timeout, when Nurse brought his team together. After the game, Oilers captain Connor McDavid singled out Nurse’s leadership in that moment.

“He’s a great leader, he’s big in this room, and he showed great leadership there, bringing everybody in,” McDavid said while speaking to the media.

Oilers Forwards Kill Clock

With just under four minutes remaining on the clock, McDavid brought the puck into the Canucks zone. After the teams battled for the puck behind the Vancouver net, Oilers winger Warren Foegele gained possession and held the puck for more than 15 seconds, moving along the half-wall in the corner, refusing to relinquish control even while being knocked to his knees by Hronek.

Eventually, the puck came free to McDavid, who cut towards the net, only to be poke-checked by Vancouver goalie Arturs Silovs. That’s when Hyman pounced on the puck, pinning it against the boards in the corner while three Canucks tried to poke it free.

Hyman’s efforts ran another 10 seconds off the clock, as Edmonton ultimately clocked close to 50 seconds of offensive zone time on an incredible pushback shift. Even when Vancouver finally regained possession, the Oilers’ forecheck forced the Canucks back into their zone, and it wouldn’t be until 2:45 remained that they were able to launch a rush.

Canucks Unable to Get One Last Shot

Trailing by a score of 3-2, all Vancouver needed was one shot to tie the game, and at the end, Edmonton made sure the Canucks didn’t get it.

After Hronek scored, Vancouver didn’t register a single shot on goal over the final 4:36, thanks in combination to the Oilers’ defensive play, puck possession, and willingness to sacrifice themselves for the team: Dylan Holloway blocked a point shot by Vancouver’s Nikita Zadorov with four minutes remaining, leading into Edmonton’s extended offensive possession, and Hyman got in the way of Hronek’s last-ditch blast in the dying seconds.

The Canucks finished Game 7 with only 17 shots on goal, continuing a series trend that saw Edmonton allow less than 20 shots in four of the last six contests.

Edmonton will now face the Dallas Stars in the best-of-seven conference final. Game 1 takes place at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Thursday (May 23).