The Edmonton Oilers are in a familiar location.
After a great stretch run and strong performance in Round 1, they have high expectations and anything short of a Stanley Cup appearance would be considered a disappointment for Connor McDavid and the team.
That became even clearer when the Vancouver Canucks made it to the second round despite being underclassed by No. 3 goaltender Artur Silovs.
The Canucks have had a great story all season and shouldn’t be ruled out even with star goaltender Thatcher Demko out, but the Oilers deserve to be the favorites (-255 at press time). There is no room for doubt. This series.
The battle for goal between the Shilovs and Stuart Skinner will get a lot of attention, but what I find most interesting is the stylistic matchup between these two teams.
Oilers vs. Canucks Game 1 Prediction
((10 p.m. ET, ESPN)
After performing well in the first half of the season, Vancouver adapted to an all-out hockey style throughout the second half and relied on that structure to win the Pacific Division title.
The Canucks were without Demko until the end and knew their defense needed to be top-notch if they wanted to make some noise in the spring.
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That philosophy worked well in a close six-game series against Nashville, but the Canucks will need more offensive punch if they want to compete with the Oilers. The Oilers are on a completely different planet than the Pres.
play: Oilers -130 (BetMGM Sportsbook)
