Canucks eliminate Predators, face Oilers in second round of playoffs
Moments ago, the Vancouver Canucks officially punched their ticket to the second round of the playoffs with a victory over the Nashville Predators.
With a gutsy 1-0 win on the road, the Canucks were able to really overcome the absence of their starting goalie Thatcher Demko, and band together to play a defensive style of hockey that beat an adept Predators squad.
What may even be more frightening for the Oilers is that Elias Pettersson has still struggled greatly in the playoffs, and will likely break out any game now. Thankfully however, Thatcher Demko is expected to comeback midway through the second round. Not only have the Canucks advanced to the second round not at full strength, but the Canucks were undefeated against the Oilers this season.
The Canucks had a perfect 4-0 record against the Oilers this season, but many of those matchups came early in the season under coach Jay Woodcroft. The Oilers haven't played their best brand of hockey once against the Canucks this season, and they may be in for a surprise when they see this team firing on all cylinders after their win over Los Angeles.
Hockey fans across the NHL are set for a treat to see these rival Canucks and Oilers teams go at each other in the second round of the playoffs. The rivalries in the ice seems to extend to the fans, so quite literally everyone gets involved in these series. The Oilers were always going to have a tough road to the Stanley Cup, so eliminating their Canadian rivals in Vancouver will be the next task on the way to the ultimate goal.
| POLL | ||
Who will win the next round of the playoffs: Edmonton or Vancouver? | ||
| Edmonton | 174 | 83.3 % |
| Vancouver | 25 | 12 % |
| See Results | 10 | 4.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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