The Edmonton Oilers clash with the Vancouver Canucks at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Wednesday. The game will be aired at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN, SN, SN360, CBC and TVAS.
The Oilers, who beat the Los Angeles Kings in the first round in five games, will be playing away from home after the Canucks' late victory over the Predators. The Canucks earned their second-round spot after a 1-0 victory over the Predators on the road in six games.
The Oilers have a strong 7-2-0 record against the Canucks in the postseason, having swept them in the first round of their first playoff meeting in 1986. This will be their first playoff meeting since 1992, when the Oilers won in six games.
Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks: Game preview
The Edmonton Oilers, having beat the LA Kings in five games in the first round, are set to continue their winning form. The Oilers secured wins in games one, three, four and five with scores of 7-4, 6-1, 1-0 and 4-3, but lost game two 5-4.
The Oilers clearly dominated the series, winning both away games. They were one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL during the regular season, scoring at least four goals in four of their five first-round series games.
The Oilers average 4.40 goals per game and convert 45% of their power plays. On the defensive side, they allow 2.60 goals per game and have a penalty kill rate of 100%.
Zach Hyman leads the Oilers with seven goals and 20 shots on goal, while Leon Draisaitl has contributed five goals for 10 points and has made 23 shots on goal. Connor McDavid has 11 assists for 12 points and 14 shots on goal.
Evander Kane, Dylan Holloway, Adam Henrique, Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Brett Kulak and Warren Foegele have made significant contributions, each adding a goal.
Stuart Skinner has a 4-1-0 record in goal, a GAA of 2.59 and an SV% of .910, having conceded 13 goals from 145 shots.
Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks secured victory in their opening-round series against Nashville in six games, even though they were not the dominant team.
The Canucks won games one, three, four and six by scores of 4-2, 2-1, 4-3 and 1-0 but lost games two and five 4-1 and 2-1 respectively. The Canucks found it challenging to get shots on goal and scored two or fewer goals in four of the six games.
Vancouver fielded three different goalies in the first round due to injuries to Demko and DeSmith.
The Canucks have scored 2.17 goals per game and conceded 2.00, with a power play success rate of 15.4% and a penalty kill rate of 90.9%. Brock Boeser is the leading scorer for the Canucks with four goals and 16 shots on goal, while J.T. Miller has made 17 shots on goal.
Elias Lindholm, Pius Suter, Dakota Joshua and Nikita Zadorov have added two goals. In the net, Thatcher Demko has a 1-0-0 record with a 2.00 GAA and a SV% of .917.
Casey DeSmith has a 1-1-0 record with a 2.02 GAA and an .911 SV%. Arturs Silovs has a 2-1-0 record with a 1.70 GAA and a .938 SV%, having allowed five goals from 80 shots.
Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks: Injury Report
The Oilers and Canucks could be missing some crucial players for Game 1.
Edmonton forward Adam Henrique was absent in Tuesday's practice due to an ankle injury.
Elias Pettersson, the Canucks' center was also absent in Tuesday's practice. Thatcher Demko, Vancouver's star goalie, is still on the mend from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for all but one game in the first round.
Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks: Head-to-Head
The Edmonton Oilers have an all time playoff record of 7-2-0 against the Canucks.
In faceoffs, the Oilers have a success rate of 50.7%, while the Canucks trail slightly, at 50.1%.
Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks: Spread
The Canucks, with a 1.5 goal disadvantage, are the underdogs in their faceoff against the Oilers. The odds are -235 for the Canucks to cover the spread, while the Oilers stand at +190.
Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks: Over/Under
The Oilers and Canucks game has an over/under goal count of 6.5. The odds for the game to go over is +102, while the odds for it to stay under is -124.
Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks: Series Odds and Score Prediction
Vancouver is considered the underdog with odds at +112 and a 47.2% chance of winning.
Meanwhile, Edmonton, despite playing on the road, is favored with odds at -132 and a win chance of 56.9%
Score Prediction: Edmonton 4-2 Vancouver