It’s all come down to this. The Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers have fought to a tie through six games in a battle for Western Canadian supremacy.
Game 7 (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) will determine which team moves on to face the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference finals, and which team is headed to the golf course.
Which players will play an outsized role for each team Monday night, and who wins?
Who is the one player you’ll be watching for the Canucks?
Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter: Elias Pettersson. Let’s go back to February. The Canucks went 10-3 for the month, and Petterson was a massive reason for that success. He scored 14 goals, which added to the belief that he and the Canucks could pose a problem in the playoffs. Since then, he has struggled to find offensive consistency, but does have points in the last two games.
He’s provided the sort of defensive reliability that’s justified why he continues to earn high minutes, with the idea his ability to create and score goals could be waiting to explode. It’s not that the Canucks need Pettersson to score to win games. But if he can add another layer to what they’ve already done? It could play a monumental role in the Canucks reaching the Western Conference finals.
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Victoria Matiash, NHL analyst: J.T. Miller. If Miller’s line can again limit Connor McDavid — which they excelled at doing in Game 5 — his club sports a much greater chance of pulling off the series-deciding victory at home. A key goal from the heart-and-soul player of this Vancouver squad would also go a long way. The Canucks’ regular-season scoring leader has a pair of tallies thus far this series, including the third-period game-winner in the 3-2 victory in Game 5 at Rogers Arena.
Arda Öcal, NHL broadcaster: Arturs Silovs. He’s been terrific and fun to watch this postseason. Game 6 wasn’t his best, allowing five goals on 27 shots. This is the biggest game of his career. Will he rise up to the challenge? He certainly has so far,…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40179782/nhl-playoffs-2024-stanley-cup-game-7-vancouver-canucks-edmonton-oilers-preview
Author : ESPN staff
Publish date : 2024-05-20 11:02:49
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