Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 31: Oilers stave off late rally to advance to West Final

Every sports fan’s two favourite words: Game 7. One team moves on, the other goes home, and for tonight’s Game 7 matchup, we get the added drama of two Western Canadian teams duking it out to save their season. The Vancouver Canucks or the Edmonton Oilers, who gets the win?

There had to be a bit of uneasiness amongst Oilers fans in the first period. Edmonton dominated in the first period with a 13-2 shot differential, and nearly doubled up the Canucks in scoring chances and expected goals, but they couldn’t get a goal in the opening frame, giving off a feeling like the Canucks might squeeze out a win in this one.

But in the second, the Oilers blew the doors wide open. It all started 76 seconds into the period, when Cody Ceci unleashed a slapshot from the point and it beat Arturs Silovs to open the scoring. While it was just Ceci’s fourth playoff goal in his career, it was the second time in his career that he’s scored the opening goal in a Game 7, also doing so in Edmonton’s 2022 first round series against the Los Angeles Kings.

CECI COMES IN CLUTCH 👊 pic.twitter.com/kjetl68Fpz

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 21, 2024

Then four minutes later, the Oilers added to their lead. It was initially thought that Evan Bouchard had the goal with another shot from the point, but it turned out that Zach Hyman deflected the puck into the net, so he was credited with his league-leading 11th goal of the playoffs.

Just listen to that ping! 🔊

The @EdmontonOilers are up by two! #StanleyCup #Game7

🇺🇸: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/Pp9X7OGP3W
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/sEijvXhbA1 pic.twitter.com/Onl7Ux35Sv

— NHL (@NHL) May 21, 2024

And as the cherry on top in the second, Bouchard’s one-time attempt on the power play missed the net, but the puck perfectly bounced out to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the other side of the net, and he fired it home into the wide open net to give the Oilers a resounding 3-0 lead going into the third period.

The @EdmontonOilers are taking a three-goal lead into the third period of #Game7 thanks to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins! 💪 #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/Pp9X7OGP3W
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/sEijvXhbA1 pic.twitter.com/cfOeOvql0o

— NHL (@NHL) May 21, 2024

Of course, no three-goal lead is truly safe until the buzzer goes. So when Conor Garland scored with 8:33 left in the third period, Oilers fans probably felts a bit more nervous, especially after how Game 1 went for Edmonton.

Garland gets us going! pic.twitter.com/if0qvqyPFX

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 21, 2024

And then when Filip Hronek scored with 4:36 left in the game, that nervousness turned to intense anxiety.

HAMMERED BY HRONEK 🚀 pic.twitter.com/hXhvm4rFgx

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) May 21, 2024

However, much to the benefits of the heart rates of the city of Edmonton, the Oilers hung on and did not allow the tying goal, and took the game by a score of 3-2 to win the game and the series. Nugent-Hopkins and Bouchard led the way in scoring for the Oilers with two points each.

The Oilers advance to the Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons, and will look to finally get their first win in the third round in the Connor McDavid era of the team against the Dallas Stars. The Canucks end their season in the second round for their second straight playoff appearance (doing so previously in the 2020 playoff bubble) and remain without a Conference Final appearance since their Cup Final run in 2011.