Oil Canada.
This season’s Edmonton Oilers have confirmed to be one of the best hope to finish the Nice White North’s Stanley Cup drought.
As of now, three of the six squads nonetheless remaining within the chase for hockey’s holy grail are from north of the border. However let’s be actual—of the Oilers, Winnipeg Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs, which has the poutine-covered moxie to grow to be the primary Canada-based staff for the reason that 1993 Montreal Canadiens to sip from Lord Stanley’s mug?
The Jets, who gained the Presidents’ Trophy because the regular-season champions, head into Saturday’s Sport 6 of their convention semifinal collection with the Dallas Stars down 3-2 and should someway discover a solution to win a highway recreation simply to pressure a deciding Sport 7. The percentages aren’t of their favor (or favour for his or her followers).
The Toronto Maple Leafs have managed to ship their collection in opposition to the defending Cup champion Florida Panthers to a seventh recreation, having recovered from dropping three straight contests with a 2-0 highway victory Friday evening.
Positive, the Maple Leafs might attain the convention finals for the primary time since 2002. Simply once they had been poised for elimination, they pulled off an enormous victory sparked by Auston Matthews’ first purpose of the collection and sealed by Joseph Woll’s first profession playoff shutout.
However being the Maple Leafs, dropping one more Sport 7 can be apropos for a franchise and fan base that final noticed their staff win a Cup in 1967.
Which brings us again to the Oilers, who made brief work of the Vegas Golden Knights within the second spherical, needing solely 5 video games to dispatch the Pacific Division champs.
For individuals who consider the method to profitable a Stanley Cup is finest served by a loss within the last, the Oilers are your staff. Bear in mind, this squad fell to the Panthers in Sport 7 final season—a collection Edmonton trailed 3-0 earlier than rattling off a trio of wins to pressure a winner-take-all showdown, solely to fall brief to a Panthers staff that had suffered Stanley Cup Last heartbreak the 12 months earlier than.
That have is simply a part of the equation for the Oilers, who final gained a Cup in 1990. Their dynamic offensive duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are big-time gamers exhibiting their dominance within the largest conditions. No shock there.
The distinction now’s how Edmonton has grow to be a extra full staff, with precise scoring depth. Positive, McDavid and Draisaitl prepared the ground offensively, however contributions not finish with them and offensive defenseman Evan Bouchard.
Corey Perry, who turned 40 this week, has someway discovered the fountain of youth. Evander Kane, after lacking the entire common season, has rounded into kind and constructed momentum because the playoffs have continued. Connor Brown offers the Oilers the dimensions and depth scoring punch that usually makes the distinction alongside the best way.
Oh yeah—in addition they proceed to get pleasure from having Swiss Military knife ahead Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and kamikaze scoring machine Zach Hyman of their high traces.
All of that depth is why the Oilers don’t have to rely so closely on their energy play to succeed, in contrast to a 12 months in the past—even once they’ve pulled off comeback victories.
Then comes one other enormous key that provides extra pop to Edmonton’s probabilities: After floundering within the first few video games of the playoffs, goaltender Stuart Skinner heads into the Western Convention last using consecutive shutouts. Skinner’s confidence—and the staff’s religion in him—can’t be missed.
There stays an extended solution to go earlier than the Stanley Cup is hoisted. However brace your self for the second it’s lifted by the Oilers—and makes its solution to Canada, tariff-free.