Oilers will have major advantage over Canucks in last games of series
As this playoff series between the Canucks and Oilers winds down, the Oilers will need to lean on their clear advantage of playoff experience.
The Edmonton Oilers core have been through the rigours of the playoffs before, earning a conference finals appearance and learning from their defeats. On the other hand, most of the Canucks are here for the first time, and the Oilers need to expose that.
Each member of the Oilers core has now been through more than a few playoff appearances, and it's bolstered by some depth playoff veterans like Corey Perry. On the other hand, outside of JT Miller, the Canucks are mostly playing the first real playoff run of their careers.
Coach Knoblauch is a rookie coach, but even he's leaning on the organizational experience. According to Oilers writer Mark Spector, Knoblauch surveyed the assistant coaches and even Ken Holland before deciding to roll with Calvin Pickard over Stuart Skinner - likely remembering that Skinner's faltered in the playoffs before. When asked about the decision to switch the Pickard, Knoblauch referenced the experience of the whole organization.
»Just talking to a lot of people on staff, getting a feel from the players, but mostly the assistant coaches, Ken Holland just everybody within the organization.»
-Kris Knoblauch
-Kris Knoblauch
On the other side, Canucks coach Rick Tocchet is calling out some of his players for being passengers, and not even realizing this is the playoffs. As the series wears on, the Oilers will have more and more opportunities to exploit this inexperienced Canucks team - and they need to convert on those chances. Zach Hyman spoke about just that, showing that the Oilers team knows exactly how they can have success.
»It's taking advantage of every little thing as the series goes on. Teams get more tired, there are more mistakes made, and you have to be the team that takes advantage.»
-Zach Hyman
-Zach Hyman
Tonight on the road, the Oilers need to take care of business against the Canucks, and head home to Edmonton with a chance to end the series.
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Oilers have a major advantage with their playoff experience? | ||
| Yes, it's a big help | 210 | 31.9 % |
| No, it doesn't mean anything | 427 | 64.9 % |
| See Results | 21 | 3.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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